One-Shot Collection
by The Vilified
Summary: Across the Pokémon world, there are countless instances of humans and pokémon taking their bond to a whole new level. These are just a few of their stories. Rated M for lemons. Will take requests, read to find out more.
1. One-Shot Information

**A/N:**

 **So I've been toying with the idea of doing some one-shots and now have finally decided to start doing them occasionally. However, even though these are one-shots, there will be plot, and they will generally be of a longer length that others on this site. This first story, for instance, hits about 20,000 words, and the second around 30,000.**

 **In terms of requests, yes I will take them. The way that the selection will be made is by choosing among those who have made a request in the review section and have also left a review for my Mystery Dungeon story _I_** _ **nto Darkness**_ _ **.**_ **In addition to this, you must have _Into Darkness_ favorited and followed. ****If you have fulfilled these requirements, then I'll put your name into a random selector, and the winner will be granted their pairing of choice, and we will discuss how you would like the story to commence.** **Each time I post a new one-shot, that starts the cycle again. If you didn't win the previous one, you can of course enter the next time around. This is done by just submitting another review for _Into Darkness_._ **

**Now yes, I know that I'm using these as a means to promote another story of mine. But I feel like that's a whole lot better than selling these slots, and this is also a free way to get these one-shots for people who might not be able to afford it. Given that a lot of writers might charge anywhere from $50-$150 dollars for a story of that length, and that my quality of writing is much better than most writers on the site, I feel like the above requirements are acceptable, as I'm giving these slots away for free.**

 **Of course, there are things that I will not do. I will not do anything regarding anthros, gay pairings, or any weird kinks. All of my pairings will also involve OCs, and not characters from the anime. Especially Ash. I specialize in human x pokémon lemons, particularly those with male humans and female poké** **mon** **.**

 **That being said, the next chapter marks the first one-shot. Hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Pheromones and Fury

**First major one-shot here! If you'd like a request, please refer to the first "chapter" and read the requirements there.**

* * *

 **Pheromones and Fury**

 **(F Salazzle x M Human)**

 **Year: 2015**

 **Location: Akala Island, Alola**

* * *

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

Summertime in Wela Volcano Park was enough to make anyone consider quitting. He could have taken the position at the Thrifty Megamart; they would've hired despite having no previous work experience. For a little bit less pay, he could be bagging items in the comfort of air conditioning. But that dollar an hour difference seemed much more appealing at the time of his interview than a little heat. The seventeen year-old had taken the job that offered the most pay for someone of his age looking for a summer, part-time job. If only he could go back and knock some sense into himself.

Jackson wiped the sweat off his forehead, irritated as to how his brown hair seemed to clump together. Surely even the lowest-paid of the clerks at the Megamart weren't envying him now. A glance at his phone - 105 degrees. He shook his head. Seemed as though Wela was hot as hell itself. Serving as a guide to assist lost trainers in the area, he had gotten to know the paths throughout the park very well. Perhaps the worst part of the job was the fact that there was seemingly no way to escape the heat - if you weren't scorched by the blistering sun, you got to enjoy the natural heat of the volcano. The only time that he would get a break was during lunch, when he and the others got to eat in the tourist station at the base of the volcano. Those thirty minutes were all he had to look forward to for the duration of his shift. But as much as he hated the job, there was no denying that being able to buy his first car would be pretty great. He only hoped that he lasted till then.

The day dragged on as it always did. After hours of leading trainers throughout the miserable park, Jackson's work day had come to an end. Finally, the lodge came into sight. The moon began to ascend; he had worked overtime today, much to his irritation. At least it was Friday, and he had the weekends off. He would pack his stuff, clock out, and call for a ride pokémon to fly back home.

Opening the door, he was greeted with the cool air of the station, and immediately headed to the back room. "Clocking out for the day, Jack?" Marcus, his coworker, asked.

"Hell yeah. Or maybe for the year," he joked.

"To tell ya the truth, I'm about to call it quits here myself," Marcus replied. "Anyways, it's good to hear that you're almost there. I knew you couldn't be too far away, with your dad paying for half of it." Jackson nodded.

"Yep. Almost there, though I was thinking about toughing it out for a week or two more. Just for some spending money, ya know?"

"Yeah. Just don't be a dumbass and blow it all in a couple of weeks."

"Says the guy that dropped two grand on a tattoo sleeve…"

"You know that's not the same," Marcus countered.

"Hah, alright."

After grabbing his backpack, he clocked out and wasted no time in leaving the building. As he walked, he fumbled through his bag, looking for the ride pager. _Hope they don't send a damn charizard. I've been around enough heat for one day._ A light green flash to the side caught his attention, making him lose interest in the task at hand. Maybe there was _one_ perk to his job. Kiawe's marowaks were practicing their fire-spinning maneuvers, swirling and swinging their bone clubs around with quick yet precise motions. The resulting show was almost hypnotic in nature, and it was something he had found himself watching on several occasions. _Well… it wouldn't hurt to watch them for a moment…_ After all, he _did_ have two days off.

He took a seat on a large boulder in the middle of the trail, setting down his bag. One of the marowaks noticed him, giving him a short, friendly wave, which Jackson returned, before focusing once again on their training. Maybe one day he'd be able to get a pokémon of his own. He hadn't taken on the trainer life, rather focusing on his high school education, though he didn't have much of an intention on going to college. Only the best trainers could turn battling into a profitable business, but even then they would have to settle down for awhile to finish school. Why waste the time on such a gamble? True, you could see the world and meet new people - the classic trainer dream. But trainers time and time again got hit by reality. No, you and your team most likely _weren't_ going to get through seven Trial Captains, much less get a shot at the champion. But that didn't stop every damn kid from dreaming that they would be the one out of millions to somehow do just that.

And when they came home after their most likely disappointing journey, they still weren't off the hook. School came next - something that you were likely more than a little behind in if you'd left on a year-long journey. And what of all those pokémon you had caught along the way? How was any of this even remotely fair to them? They had previously been used to a life of excitement - something that you might be able to provide for them after school or on the weekends. And how would you tend to all of them? Give them the attention they deserve? Hell, how would a jobless kid even _feed_ them? Better hope you'd only caught a few, and certainly not any four-hundred pound dragon-type.

It just didn't seem fair to the very creatures that had made it all possible. Trainers somehow were the center of society, and yet it seemed as though everyone thought that it was the trainer's doing. But that little ten year-old wasn't getting bruised and beaten on the battlefield, nor was he submitting to someone with only a fraction of his strength. True, most trainers were very loving and respectful to their pokémon, but that still didn't make up for how such powerful, magnificent creatures were subject to the wills of kids.

As far as Jackson was concerned, the whole system seemed stupid. Maybe all those trainers should wait until they actually knew something about the world before they blindly stepped into it. They _had_ to leave home to travel a region full of strangers and pokémon, some of which, in both cases, weren't friendly. Some called it 'adventurous,' but Jackson just called it dumb. If he were to get a pokémon, he would prefer a much more laid back lifestyle. Who said you had to battle or take on a league? He was much more comfortable staying put and not having to worry about winning enough battles to financially stay afloat.

Despite this, he often looked forward to the day when he may have a pokémon as a companion. He had heard on numerous occasions from his friends that were trainers how amazing their pokémon were, and each time, it only made him want to personally befriend one of his own. But where to start, though, was the trickier question.

He knew little about them aside from what he had learned from school. He had a single pokéball - one that his uncle had given him as a birthday present - but he didn't even know how to use the thing. _I should probably look into it tonight_ , he thought. You never know when you might meet a potential companion.

The marowaks all simultaneously threw their bones into the air, and, without looking, caught them behind their backs. Maybe if he was lucky, he might be able to find a cubone - it would sure be neat to have a partner that could create such exciting displays as the ones he was watching. Jackson brought his bag to his lap, taking out a bag of trail mix as he thought it all over. There were often times pokémon at shelters - young ones that had been abandoned or lost, and didn't know how to take care of themselves. As such, "adopting" one was always an option.

A rustle in the dried grass behind him caught Jackson's attention. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder. All he saw was the soot-covered grass and the dusty, well-traveled long work day had exhausted him and caused his mind to play tricks on him. He shook his head, tossing a handful of the snack into his mouth. The marowak had just about concluded their daily practice routine, and Jackson was getting ready to pull out his ride pager. But then another, much closer, rustle. It came from only a few yards behind him. _Alright, that one was definitely real_. He slowly pulled out a flip knife from his pocket, hoping that whatever may be out there wouldn't make him use it. As quickly as he could, he turned around, only to face a silent, barren patch of dry grass. _No way I'm just hearing things…_

A small figure sprung up, peaking over the boulder mere inches from him. "Shit!" he yelled as he fell off the rock, landing on his back and dropping the knife. A small, dark reptile looked at him, flashing him that unsettling grin that its species was known for. But other than the scaring the ever-living hell out of him, the salandit was harmless, and even friendly-looking. "Arceus," he panted, "don't _do_ that…" Jackson got back on his feet, dusting himself off. The contents of his bag lay scattered about on the ground. _Great_. At least he had managed to salvage the trail mix. The salandit simply tilted its head, continuing to stare at him. _What does it want?_ It didn't seem to want to cause any trouble - it could have easily pounced on him when he was down. Maybe…

"Did you want this?" he asked, cautiously holding the bag out. The salandit licked its lips in response - definitely the right answer. "…Here." He calmly set down the snack, receiving a warm growl in response before the salandit immediately started eating. Jackson decided that it would be a good time to pick up his belongings and page the ride pokémon. Unfortunately, it could take up to half an hour to show up if they were busy - hopefully they wouldn't be. He tossed his things inside the bag rather carelessly, pressing the flight button on the pager before dropping it into the bag as well. Something was missing, though, and he couldn't figure out what it was. _Phone, wallet, pager, canteen…_ A glance over near the boulder reminded him what it was. The unused pokéball sat against the large rock, as if taunting him. _For fuck's sake…_ Jackson tried to slowly approach the small orb, but it didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't exactly being stealthy. The salandit had finished, and was looking at him intently.

"Look, I'm just trying to get my—." It jumped off the rock, between him and the ball, and began to approach him. He backed away, unsure of its intentions. "Wh-what do you want? I don't have any more…" His words didn't seem to have an effect on the pokémon, though. _What is it trying to do?_ His back contacted the rocky surface of the volcano. Nowhere to go, and he had put his knife in his bag. If it decided to attack…

But it didn't - it just stood there, looking up at the much taller human, its tail slowly moving back and forth as it stared at him. Jackson somehow got the idea that the creature wasn't going to try anything, so he gradually crouched down and remained still for a moment, before hesitantly reaching out his hand. Once he had covered half the distance between him and the pokémon, though, he began to have second thoughts. _Wait, what the hell am I doing? This thing could bite my hand off for all I know, and—._ His thoughts were cut off as the salandit pressed its maw against his hand, nuzzling him rather tenderly. Jackson was taken by surprise with the salandit's forwardness, but it was surely a welcome surprise, and much better than being burned or bitten.

"Affectionate, are we?" he laughed. The pokémon propped itself up using Jackson's knee, giving him a light lick to the face. Despite its naturally mischievous look, the salandit had a very sweet demeanor to it. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Where such a friendly wild pokémon had come from, he had no idea, but he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Such characteristics would be perfect in a companion as far as Jackson was concerned. Then the idea struck him - this might just be the one. It surely wouldn't cost a lot to care for, being so small in size, and wouldn't require a large building or anything. That was definitely something he couldn't provide, at least for the time being. Not to mention that it wasn't every day that one came across such a pokémon. _Maybe… maybe I should try…_ It was worth a shot, wasn't it?

He gently picked the salandit up, pleased to find that it didn't resist at all. Rather, it nuzzled his chest as he walked over to retrieve the dropped ball. _I think it might actually want to come with me…_ Provided he asked, though… and figured out how to use the ball. He set it down on top of the boulder, stooping down to pick up the pokéball. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. The salandit nodded. _Alright, that simplifies things._ "Okay. I was wondering…" He should be careful, so as not to be too straightforward and awkward with his proposition. It _was_ kind of coming out of the blue. Hell, he'd probably sound like a desperate kid if he asked.

The salandit released a light rumble - was it laughing at his predicament? Maybe a little. But despite that, he couldn't deny the sincere look that the pokémon gave him. It nodded towards the ball in his hand. "You want to?" He set the ball down beside the salandit. "Well… great! I'm not much of a trainer, but I'm sure we'll do well together." That is, when he figured out how to work the damn device before him. "This is kinda… well… _awkward_ … but I don't know how to do this…" It blinked, then shook its head, tapping the button in the center. The ball enlarged, growing at least three times its previous size. One more touch, and it was sucked into the ball by a red beam. A few seconds, then the ball remained still, sounding the well-known click of a confirmed capture. _Alright!_

It may have been a spur-of-the-moment decision on his part, but surely his parents would be alright with it. The salandit wouldn't be any trouble to take care of, and of course he would claim sole responsibility of its wellbeing, so it would likely be a welcome addition to the family. And if not… well, he would be moving out within another few years.

A distant flapping sound caught Jackson's attention. Looking to the sky, he noticed a small, approaching flame amongst the starry sky. _Fuck me, they sent a charizard…_

 **— — — — —**

 **Salandit**

 **— — — — —**

Everything had worked out, just as she had hoped. As far as she was concerned, Wela Volcano offered nothing but misery, especially for a young female salandit like herself. She had seen what life was like for a mature female of her species - always being surrounded by males. Granted, many of them liked this matriarchal sort of lifestyle, but she certainly didn't want that. Not to mention the fact that she would have to endure the torment of the volcano itself. As strange as humans may be, them and their pokémon seemed to enjoy lives of comfort. There was no difficulty in obtaining food or staying safe. Or clean, for that matter; the constant soot made sure that all of the park's inhabitants were covered in ash. She had made up her mind, even at an early age, that she wanted out of that place.

But more often than not, that had to come with a trainer. Most of the humans that ventured into the desolate place were nothing more than children, off on their society's warped idea of a journey. They were irritating as far as she was concerned, and they would almost certainly try to make her battle. She wouldn't mind an occasional skirmish or two, but fighting daily was something that she hoped to avoid. So finding an ideal human had looked like it would be a chore.

That is, until she saw Jackson. She had been watching him for a few weeks now and initially couldn't figure out what he was doing in Wela. He had not battled, nor had he caught any of the locals for his team. It didn't even look like he _had_ a team. All he seemed to do was lead the younger ones throughout the park, something that she could clearly see he didn't enjoy doing. _But why would he keep doing this?_ she had often wondered. Whatever the reason was didn't matter, as she had increasingly found him to be an ideal option.

So he obviously wasn't a trainer, given that he didn't have a single pokémon. _Perfect_ , she had thought, _it should be easy for the both of us._ Despite the great deal of discomfort associated with his job, he was always kind and helpful to all of the trainers that he encountered. Such were qualities of an easygoing and kind person - qualities that she definitely would seek in a human. If everything went the way she expected, she would enjoy living with him very much.

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

He swiftly got off of the charizard, ready to be away from the heat for the day. Soon, he wouldn't have to rely on the ride pager to get around - he'd have a car of his own. The day when that would be couldn't come soon enough. Jackson tipped the charizard, who nodded in appreciation before taking off. _Damn fire-types, always so freaking hot…_ Of course, he did just _catch_ a fire-type…

He walked inside, seeing both of his parents on the couch watching television. _Okay, how to explain this…_ "Arceus baby, you're a mess. Go shower up." Well, she wasn't wrong about that…

"I will, in just a minute. I need to tell you two something first." His dad set down his magazine, focusing on what he had to say.

"Are you in trouble?" he asked. Jackson shook his head.

"No, I'm not in trouble. At least, I don't think so…"

"Son, what did you do?"

"I uh… I used the ball that I had…" His father removed his reading glasses, giving him a confused look.

"You did what?"

"You caught a pokémon?" his mother asked, receiving a nod of confirmation. "Oh my - let's see it then!" _Huh, well she took well to it._ He pulled the ball out of his pocket, hesitantly releasing the salandit within. "It's adorable! Look at it, Logan - showing off that cute little smile." Jackson's father, however, seemed concerned about something.

"Something that matter, dad?" Jackson asked.

"Have you checked its gender?" _What? What kind of a question is that?_

"Well… no… Why does it matter?"

"Because," he replied, "gender is the most important factor with that species. Didn't you pay attention in class?"

"Yeah, most of the time."

"And you don't recall anything about salandits?"

"It's not like I'm majoring in biology or anything," Jackson said in defense. "What is it that you're trying to say?"

"Only the females evolve. And not just that, but they have a lot of… peculiar traits about them. Pheromones in particular."

"Pheromones? So?" Logan rolled his eyes.

"It's just something that you should look out for. If it's a she, that is." Jackson crouched down to the salandit's level. He felt kind of awkward asking this…

"Do you… mind if I check?" The pokémon shyly nodded, then rolled over on its back, giving him a clear, but very quick picture before getting back onto her feet. "Alright, thanks…" He stood back up.

"Well?"

"It's a girl…" Jackson's father sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"You brought home a female salandit," he muttered. "Somehow, against the odds, you found a damn female…"

"Look, I'll deal with it, alright?" Jackson said. "I'm sure the pokémon center will have something. They _are_ native here, after all. If there's a problem, they should be able to help." He had just gotten this lovely little lady, and hell if he wasn't going to defend that decision.

"Alright, fine," he relented. "I will say this, though - she is your responsibility. You chose this. It's up to you to see it through. And by Arceus, this house better not smell like pheromones."

"Don't worry dad - we've got this. Don't we gal?" he asked, looking down at his new partner. She nodded briskly. "Say, now that we've got all that cleared up, we give you a name." The salandit tilted her head. A name _did_ sound nice - much more personal than being referred to as 'salandit.' "Hmm…" Jackson thought it over for a moment, to which she stared up at him patiently. "How about the name 'Sally?'" It seemed to suit a female of her species well. Or maybe he just wasn't that creative. She nodded, much to his delight. "Perfect. Listen, I'm gonna head to the shower. After that… well, you look like you could use a bath yourself. While I'm in, go ahead and look around the house. Please just try not to track dirt everywhere."

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

Everywhere she looked, Sally was amazed. Why on earth did pokémon remain in the wild when they could gain _this_ kind of lifestyle? The kitchen was full - worrying about food would be a thing of the past. She had admittedly sampled a few berries with the help of Jackson's mother. There was definitely sufficient room, too - large enough to house thirty or more members of her species, if her new owners had wanted. Hopefully they wouldn't… And this so-called air conditioning was heavenly. Just because she was part fire-type didn't mean that excessive heat couldn't become uncomfortable.

Sally walked through the hallway, noting the two doors on each side. One had light peeking from under it, and a torrent of some sort could be heard from within. _My human must be in there,_ she thought. That left the other room for her to explore. _Let's see what we have here._ She prodded the ajar door open, finding a decently sized room once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Various contraptions made of wood, one with papers and a smaller version of the moving-picture device that his parents had been engaging in. But something in particular caught Sally's attention: the flat, elevated surface at the edge of the room. White linens lay crumpled about on top, and the salandit had the compelling urge to feel this bizarre structure. She hoisted herself up the side with great difficulty, eventually coming to rest on the comfortable surface. The moment she did, though, she knew that it had all been worth it.

 _Arceus… I am never going into the wild again!_ For all she cared, other salandits could enjoy their independence, but this was the life for her. She had been acclimated to sleeping on rocks and crumpled grass - nothing like this. What she had been used to paled in comparison to a nest of this sort. She couldn't help but sprawl out on the sheets, basking in their softness. _Ah, this is just divine…_ It felt so good that she decided to close her eyes, just for a moment…

The light flickered on, waking her almost immediately. She gave off a slight rumble of discontent - that was the best nap she had in… well, forever, and now it was over. "I see you've found the bed. Of course, right after I made it with clean sheets," Jackson chuckled. She nodded, slowly opening her eyes. Her trainer was standing there in a pair of gym shorts, wearing no shirt and allowing for her to catch a good look at his figure - toned from years of playing soccer. _Ooh, I see something else that I like!_ Thinking back on that, that was a really odd thought for her to have.

"Come on, we're gonna get you clean if you wanna live here. Mom's a bit of a neat freak." He gently slid his arms under her, carrying her to the very room he had previously been in, before shutting the door behind him. _A bath? I don't see any sand…_ She had been used to rolling around in coarse sand or dirt in order to remove grime, but those elements were not present in the tile-covered room. Rather, once he set her down and turned the water on, she knew all too well where this was going. _No!_ Sally darted back to the door, only to remember that her only means of escape was closed, so she scurried into the corner. "Hey, hey - it's okay," Jackson said. "I know your a fire-type, but a little warm water won't hurt you." She didn't seem convinced, so he continued. "Sally…" She looked up at him. "I'm not gonna do anything that'll hurt you, okay? Do you trust me?" he asked with a sincere look. _Ugh… I do…_ She slowly approached him, dreading what was to come.

He picked her up, hugging her against him. "Thank you. Now let's get you cleaned up." Despite her predicament, she smiled - he was so thoughtful. The tub had a few inches of water inside of it by now - appropriate for her height. She was gradually lowered into the steaming water, and what she felt greatly surprised her. The water felt nothing like she had expected. Sally had been hit with a water-type attack or two before, and had remembered how uncomfortable she had been for the following hours. But this was something different entirely, and even comfortable. Jackson began to rub a soap-covered cloth across her back, making her hum in content. _Mmm… he's way too good at this._ She wouldn't dare to refuse such treatment from him again. The little salandit found herself on cloud nine as he scrubbed her clean, especially enjoying his gentle touch along her tail and between her toes. _I hope… we do this every day,_ she eventually concluded.

By the time he had finished, the water was murky. He pulled the drain up, letting the no longer clean water out. Once he had finished, he rinsed her off once more, then grabbed a towel from underneath the sink. "Time to dry you off," he told her. _Aww, we're done already?_ He stooped over, taking her into his arms once again, rubbing her with the soft fabric and removing all the moisture from her body. "See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" She shook her head. She could go for another round of that any time. "Good to hear. I'm going to head to bed now, alright?" She nodded, and he opened the door, heading back to his room. "Care to join me?" She was overjoyed that he had asked. She trotted behind him, joining him inside his room. "Heh, I'll take that as a yes." He helped her up, then climbed beside her, pulling the covers over the two of them.

She still couldn't believe that it had all worked out so perfectly. She now shared a home with a wonderful, caring trainer, enjoying every single bit of it. "Hey," he whispered, causing her to look into his blue eyes. "Thanks for coming with me." He gently rubbed her head, giving her a wonderful feeling that she couldn't describe. Sally edged closer to him, to where he maw was inches away, and gave him a light lick on the cheek.

 **— — — — —**

 **General**

 **— — — — —**

As time moved on, they each experienced several changes. After finishing high school, Jackson moved out of his parents' house, taking up residency in the form of renting a house in the eastern sector of Heahea City. He had gotten a job as a transportation inspector for the city, giving him access to pretty good pay and state benefits. As such, they could afford to do what they wanted within reason. He wasn't the only one to further develop - soon after they had moved out, Sally had evolved into a salazzle as a result of a few battles with some coworkers. The evolution had greatly frightened the female - maybe Jackson might begin to see her in a different light, and could become uncomfortable with the gestures of affection they had always shared. But to her delight, he had done nothing of the sort. Things stayed the way they always had between them, despite her new appearance.

As a result of her evolution, Jackson had learned much more about her species, understanding the peculiarities associated with the females. Every month, he picked up pills from the pokémon center that would suppress her pheromones, as well as keep her hormones under control. Not that either of these had caused an issue so far, but surely the pills must alleviate her suffering. Sally was good at composing herself and keeping any of her pheromones contained, though, however difficult that may be. Jackson knew that it must be a struggle - he had seen several male pokémon approach her in hopes of wooing the female. But she had turned each and every one of them down, much to Jackson's confusion - even refusing a powerful kommo-o from a former hotshot trainer that moved in across the street. _She must not really want a mate_ , he eventually concluded. By all means, that was fine by him. If anything, it meant that she wouldn't have to divide her time between him and a male pokémon, and that the prospect of hatchlings was off the table. He could definitely go without paying for more mouths to feed.

Over the years, the two of them had grown inseparably close. Hardly a moment passed when they were not beside one another - only when Jackson went out with his friends was she ever alone. One thing that had baffled the newly-evolved salazzle was that she had never seen her trainer go out with a female. It simply made no sense - as far as she was concerned, Jackson was very attractive, and was more than capable as a potential mate. _They don't know what they're missing out on_ , she often said to herself. After thinking it over, she eventually came to the conclusion that it must be the fact that Jackson wasn't very social outside of his group of friends and her. If he wasn't at work, or at the local sports bar with Marcus and the others, then he was with her, watching movies, playing board games, even teaching her how to read and write, which was a painstakingly difficult endeavor that she did not initially see the point of. Why did she need to learn the ins and outs of the written human language? She could understand him just fine, and he her to a pretty effective degree. But eventually she discovered the use for his endeavor: she would be able to communicate with him much more clearly. Once she had realized that, she tackled the challenge to the best of her ability. Within half a year, she was able to write most words, giving her a much more effective way to express her thoughts than simple body language.

She was amazed that her trainer cared for her enough to spend so much time with her - far more than anyone else. Unbeknownst to him, Sally's view towards him had altered these past two years. At first, she had decided to tag along because she wanted out of the wild and into a caring home. Jackson had seemed like the best option available in terms of achieving what she wanted. But after her first night, Sally knew that she found herself a irreplaceable friend. Someone who, as the time went by, she wanted to have an even stronger relationship with. Fear kept those thoughts contained, though, and kept the uncertain salazzle constantly on the brink of coming forth.

But she could never bring herself to do that, so she found another way to relieve the tension. Something that she would have to do everything in her power to hide, but yet was tearing her apart day by day. An addiction - she felt sick with herself each time she did it, but yet kept engaging in the "activity," even relying on it to get by at times. Sometimes she would make it awhile without doing it, but she knew all too well she would succumb to her weakness. If Jackson ever found out… no, that couldn't happen. He would be repulsed, and their relationship - one that she couldn't lose for the world - could be on the line. Sally would have to hide it, just as she had done thus far.

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

Guilt. She was completely ashamed of herself, but yet she had done it once more. _I disgust myself,_ she thought as she stared at a picture of the two of them on the nightstand. He used one arm to hold his phone, while the other was around her. Both of them sported wide grins. This picture was her favorite in the world, a testament to how much they cared for each other. But yet she had gone and participated in that lustful deed once again.

The room smelled of her; there was no way to hide it. As always, she would blame it on the pills not doing their jobs. He always bought that one. _Why am I lying to him like this? He's done nothing but love and care for me, and yet I can't be honest with him…_ But though she questioned this, she very well knew the answer. Jackson simply couldn't know. A stir in the bed snapped her back to reality.

He stretched under the covers before removing them altogether from his body. "'Morning, Sal," he said with a yawn. She responded with a smile and a warm growl, knowing that he would inevitably take notice to the wavering scent in the air. "Ah shit, the pills must be defective again…" he mumbled. "I'll have to make a stop by the pokémon center after work today. This is just crazy - what is this, the third time this month?" She nodded, feigning an irritated growl. The two of them went through their morning routines, with Jackson showering up in order to remove whatever pheromones may be lingering on him.

Sally headed to the kitchen, where she began making a pot of coffee. She mentally ran over her checklist of things that needed to be done around the house while Jackson was out - dishes needed to be done, furniture needed to be dusted… Whereas he earned the money, Sally generally tidied up around the house. He never asked her to do any of it, but she wanted to do something to help him. Especially considering the fact that she was being so deceitful towards him.

Jackson walked into the room, buttoning up his county uniform. "How'd you sleep? Hormones and stuff keep you awake?" he asked. Sally grabbed her notepad off the counter, as well as the adjacent pen.

 _Wasn't so bad,_ she wrote. _Was up a few times, but not for long._

"Well I don't like my girl not being able to sleep. I'm sure they'll get it right this time." Her cheeks warmed in response to his words. _He called me his girl_. She wrote again on the pad.

 _Thank you._

He poured them both a cup of coffee, knowing exactly what each of them liked. Two tablespoons of sugar and a not very moderate amount of vanilla creamer for her, while he preferred his straight up.

He handed Sally hers and took a careful sip of his, while she simply began drinking it without precaution. Being a fire-type certainly did have its perks. Once they had finished, he hugged her before heading towards the door. "I'll be back around one, okay?" She nodded, writing once more on the paper.

 _See you then._

And just like that, he was gone. She disliked the time when they were apart, but understood the necessity of it. The salazzle shook her head in a futile effort to clear her thoughts, before heading over to the couch and falling onto it. Tears began to build up in her eyes as she prayed, begging Arceus for forgiveness for what she had done. _Some revolting creature I am. He never deserved this…_

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

Those few hours of work that Friday morning had been rather slow. Everything had been completely in order, which was definitely good, but the hours had still seemed to stretch out. _Whatever, at least I'm done for the day._ After, of course, he made one final stop.

He stepped out of his truck, walking inside of the pokémon center. The nurse up front was busy helping a pair of trainers, so he headed over to the cafe to grab a snack. _They're pretty dead today,_ he thought, looking around. There may have been a dozen people inside the last building, the majority of which were seated at tables in the cafe. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the trainers - a young boy near the age of thirteen - release an injured growlithe out of its ball. The way it tried to avoid standing on its front paw made it apparent that he had injured that leg. The nurse disappeared, returning with another nurse and stretcher, to which they lifted the pup onto it and wheeled it into a room in the back. _Careless boy,_ Jackson thought as he finished off his Lumiose galette. _Going and getting your pokémon hurt like that._

He stood up and walked over to the nurse, holding a half-used bottle of pills. "Oh, hello Jackson," she said happily. "I'm gonna guess it's the same issue as before, right?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "same as last time."

"I just don't understand it," she said. "The pheromone suppressant that your salazzle was prescribed has been used for nearly six years. It does its job very well, and I even had this batch shipped from Hau'oli City. Your salazzle has been, as far as I know, the only one that it hasn't worked for."

"The medicine that she got must be defective," he replied.

"Sometimes it is. But… it just doesn't seem right. I mean, three times in two weeks? Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

"Of course it does," Jackson admitted, handing her the pill bottle, "but I don't know what to tell you." She turned the label to face her, reading it to herself. She shook her head.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. I'll replace them, but I can't understand how the same pills that work for every other salazzle are somehow not working for Sally. Maybe she's just resistant to them, and we should up the dosage."

Jackson walked out of the building with a brand new bottle of pills for Sally, hoping that these would finally work. _Poor girl must be going insane_ , he thought. He hopped back in his truck, driving back to the house, picking up two meals from a fast-food joint along the way. _Wonder what she'd like to do this afternoon._ He always enjoyed the time he spent with his lively salazzle, inadvertently smiling as he looked at the picture of the two of them on his dashboard - the same one that was on the nightstand.

He pulled into the driveway, bringing the two bags with him as he got out. Sally opened the front door, greeting him with a large grin. "Hey Sal." She embraced him, nuzzling into his chest and causing him to laugh. "Ah, I missed you too girl." They went inside, bringing their food to the couch. He made sure that she received one of the new pills - he didn't want her to suffer a moment longer than necessary. They ate mostly in silence, with Sally lightly pressed against his shoulder as they watched television. It wasn't long before the two of them finished, and wanted to do something besides flipping through channels.

 _Want to go to movies?_ she asked. Jackson thought it over for a moment.

"Sure, do you have anything in mind? Not exactly sure what's playing right now." She shrugged, writing something else down.

 _Nothing in mind. We could pick whatever._

"Alright then. Much better than sitting around here doing nothing."

An hour later the two found themselves in the car, heading to the cinema downtown. Jackson couldn't help but notice that Sally seemed withdrawn today, staring silently out the window as they drew closer to their destination. "You okay girl?" he asked. "You seem a bit down…"

 _No_ , she wrote, _just a bit tired._

"Well… you do know that if something's bothering you, you can always come to me, right?" She gave him a forced smile, but shook her head, writing something else.

 _That's not always the case._ Her reply came across as strange - she must have really been struggling lately. Maybe the movie might be able to cheer her up…

Once they had parked, Jackson and Sally stood outside the movie theater, browsing over the selection. _Let's see… Sally isn't too fond of horror, so that takes those two at the end off the list…_ A light jab to his shoulder.

 _How about Durant-Man?_

"Sounds good to me," he said, pulling out his wallet.

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

She watched the movie, but hardly paid attention to the plot. A bunch of flashing lights and a couple of fight scenes barely registered to the salazzle as she contemplated her situation. Oh, and a suit that could shrink its wearer. That could be useful - to hide, almost escape from reality altogether. But in her case, something like that would be impossible.

Unlike her, Jackson was paying complete attention to the movie. _Look at him, so wrapped up in it,_ she thought. His arm was draped over the armrest, hanging slightly over her leg. She looked around, checking to make sure that they were in the back. There was nobody behind them, and hardly anyone in front of them. _Well… here goes nothing…_ She slowly took his hand in hers, preparing for a shocked response. But as she gently held his hand, she was surprised to feel him run his thumb over her slimmer digits. _Jackson… ah, always so kind to me…_ She couldn't help but press herself against his arm, receiving a kiss on the cheek. _I love it when he does that,_ she thought. Knowing how sweet and sensitive he was only made what she had done hurt all the more. How could she? It was the question she asked every time, but yet ignored throughout the action.

Once the movie had concluded, she found herself rather tired. Of the lies that she had told Jackson, there was definitely truth in the fact that she had not slept much the night before. And being against his warm, comfortable side… she wasn't going to make it long without caving in to exhaustion. She tried in vain to stand up on her own two feet once the credits began to role; if Jackson had not caught her, she probably would have fallen. If only they hadn't left her ball at the house. "Come on," he whispered, tenderly picking her up bridal-style, "I've gotcha." She liked to imagine that the scene was passionate, and that maybe he would carry her into the bedroom, ready to engage in what she had always fantasized about. The ride home was perhaps their chariot, riding off into the sunset with her laying on his lap.

He carried her inside, softly laying her on the bed. "Love ya Sal," he whispered before joining her. And that was it. Time and time again, she was reminded that her imagination would only be just that. Her fanciful wonderings would get the best of her, only for reality to make it well known to the tormented salazzle that her dreams would never be. They simply couldn't be - her feelings were likely unreciprocated. _Why?_ she thought. _Why must it be this way? I cannot change the way I feel about him…_ In the dark, two slim trails of water streamed across each side of her face. Despite the warmth of the covers and her trainer's nearby body, she felt cold. _I will always be nothing more than his best friend…_ Maybe at one time she could have accepted that and moved on, but not any more. It pained her to know that her affection was one-way, and that over time, he would find a nice girl and mate with her - do the very things to that woman that Sally had dreamed of. And then she would be out of his bedroom, replaced by one who she would no doubt envy for the rest of her days. The thought alone pained her heart, and she silently sobbed herself to sleep.

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

 _Bzzzzt!_ The vibration of his phone made Jackson slowly open his eyes. _Ugh, I forgot to hook it up to the charger_ , he thought as he tiredly reached for it on the windowsill. The bright light forced his eyes to adjust - there was no way he'd be getting back to sleep now. _A text? At six in the morning?_ Looking at the sender, he found that Marcus was the culprit. _Son of a bitch._

 _Hey bud, was wondering if you might want to meet up today._

Jackson shook his head, irritated with the situation, but decided to respond.

 _Maybe. I'm off today, so we could. Why, what you got in mind? Oh and btw, not_ _everyone wakes up at 6._

The response followed shortly after.

 _Yeah, sorry about that. We just had some extra product and I wanted to know ahead of time if you'd like it._

 _Extra product?_ Jackson thought. That was an interesting proposition. Marcus now worked as an electronics sales specialist for the Silph branch in Heahea, and sold products of every sort - from the newest pokédexes to the new and improved ride pagers.

 _Extra product? What are you talking about?_

 _Nah, can't tell. That'd ruin the surprise. So you gonna come?_

Jackson rolled his eyes - Marcus sure could be immature at times.

 _Alright, what time and where would you like to meet?_

 _How about 11:00 at Johto Steakhouse?_

 _K. Seeya there._

Jackson set the phone down, rubbing his eyes. _No use trying to get back to sleep anymore._ After making sure that his phone was connected to the charger, he quietly got out of bed. _No need to wake her up_. The salazzle was peacefully dozing, a not-so-subtle grin stretched out on her face. _Heh, looks like someone is having a good dream._ He could only wonder what it might be about.

The morning carried on, and Sally still did not wake. _She must've been really tired_. By 10:30, he decided to leave in order to avoid being late. Before he did, though, he wrote her a brief note.

 _Went to meet Marcus for lunch, won't be long. I'll bring you back something._

He placed the note on the nightstand, right in front of their picture. Gently rubbing her shoulder, he left the room, grabbing his phone and keys on his way out.

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

Of course, it had just been a dream. It always was. Her Jackson would embrace her tightly against himself, whispering sweet things to her, making his intentions very much known. He would claim her mouth, and eventually trail down lower - neck, chest, stomach… And then, just as he would almost give her what she had been longing for, she would wake up.

 _No… not again…_ It was always so real, and she bought into it every time. _Why? Why must my mind torture me like this?_ She stared up at the ceiling, contemplating how unfair all of it was. Her body yearned for what was not to come. Eventually, she noticed the note on the nightstand. Good thing that he wasn't there - she wouldn't know how to respond if he had seen her like this. Right now, she had decided that she needed a cold shower to help her cope with her desire… and to wash away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

The frigid water landed on the salazzle, who was simply crouched in the corner, with her head in her hands. Unbeknownst to Jackson, his pokémon was engaging in a full-out mental battle, with her desire tormenting her endlessly. _Oh Arceus, why couldn't I have been born a human?_

The one thing she truly wanted was the one thing she would never have. It just wasn't fair, and it broke Sally's heart.

So she would settle for the next best thing. _No! I cannot do that again!_ It was filthy - lewd - and she always ended up feeling worse than before. But then Jackson would come back, with that sweet smile of his, and his strong, masculine physique yet gentle touch. Always for her. _Stop!_ she mentally screamed at herself. The salazzle wasn't helping her predicament by any means. _He's always been so kind, so thoughtful… I can't do this anymore…_

But as much as she said that, and with as strong of a resolve as she wanted, the lustful part of her mind would make its presence known. Was it really so bad? She didn't do it often, and despite the sickening feeling of guilt afterwards, she _did_ reach the relief that she had been wanting, all while letting her imagination spring to life. _No! Stop doing this to yourself!_ _It was just a few days ago!_ She needed to take her mind off the subject, to think about something else. Like how Jackson would come home, and they could get out of the house and have fun. But who said they needed to leave the house to have fun? He could simply sweep her off of her feet and carry her back to the bedroom, where he would hold her within his strong grasp and take her. _Stop! P-please st-stop!_ She sobbed on the floor of the shower for what seemed like an eternity, a war being waged between her morality and her lustful thoughts. And as much as she would like to say that she fought the good fight, Sally found herself caving in.

 _Just make this easy on yourself_ , that voice in her subconscious said. _There's no need for you to suffer like this. Just give in_. Her arguments of it being horrid and wrong were gradually suppressed as she came to accept the fact that she would fall short of decency once again. Sally knew the routine; had the very plan memorized and perfected. It would be no trouble at all to enact it. _I can't keep going on like this,_ she thought. The very cycle and the shame that came with it afterwards hurt just as much, if not more, than her dream that would never be. And doing it so soon after last time… she was really pushing it. But despite the lingering feeling of guilt and the danger of the plan, Sally _needed_ to do it. _Arceus, I swear, this will be the last time…_ She meant every single syllable of that. But then again, that's what she said each and every time. The salazzle, sick of fighting what her body lusted so hard for, gave in.

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

The lunch had been great - it always was at this restaurant. Now that Marcus and Jackson were both finished with their meals, the topic of the so-called product rose to question. Marcus reached to the side of the booth, where he had set the bright red bag that he had brought with him. A rectangular container could be noticed within, covered with light tissue paper. "Consider this a belated birthday gift. You know, since I was back at Johto at the time…"

"You didn't have to do that," Jackson said.

"I don't _have_ to do anything. But we've been pals for years. It'd be kinda shitty not to get you anything." Jackson nodded, thanking him for the gift. "Well, go ahead - open it." He reached into the bag, then pulled out the object.

"No way…" It was the brand-new Silph Home Surveillance System. "Dude, these things go for nearly eight-hundred bucks…"

"Eight-hundred MSRP, not in reality. You and I both know they don't cost nearly that much to make. And besides, employee benefits _and_ an overage - I got it for a steal."

"Thanks dude." Jackson looked it over, but the sleek white box offered no description for how the system functioned. "How does it work?"

"You have five small, concealable cameras which sync with the storage unit. The cameras record based on motion, so they don't waste battery, ya know? Oh, and they use night vision - pretty neat, right? Anyways, the storage unit can hold about a month's worth of footage. If you want to access that, then you can simply plug the unit into your laptop and access it from there."

"Sounds pretty useful…"

"It is - that's why it's a bestseller. Helps gain evidence for burglaries, as well as domestic issues - like abuse and stuff."

"But… could they be hacked? I mean, that would kinda suck if your home surveillance system was used to spy on you…" Marcus shook his head.

"The storage unit acts as a hard drive, and is impossible to access without physically plugging it into a computer. Just hide the thing wherever the hell you want, and stick it in when you wanna watch footage. Don't have to worry about it being hacked or anything like that."

"…Listen man, I can't thank you enough for this," Jackson said. The waitress returned in order to take their plates.

"One check or two?" she asked.

"One," Jackson said before Marcus could respond.

"Dude, I'm not _that_ poor…" he joked.

"It's the least I can do. Lemme take care of it." Marcus gave in - generally, when Jackson made up his mind to do something, there was no use in trying to convince him otherwise. The waitress returned with Sally's meal in a to-go box, fresh off of the grill. After paying, the two headed outside, where they eventually parted ways. _That was really cool of him,_ Jackson thought as he eyed the white box to the side. _I'ma set it up as soon as I get home._

He walked into the house, carrying both the meal and the new security system. _That's strange, Sally usually meets me at the door…_ The running water in the bathroom, though, signaled her location. He placed the to-go box on the counter, then turned his attention to the box from Silph. He wasted no time in opening it, revealing its contents. _Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said they were small…_ The cameras were small and circular, and could had an adhesive surface on the back of them, allowing for them to be placed nearly anywhere. Altogether, they were each half an inch in diameter. _Alright, so where to put them…_ He decided to place one on both the front and side door, one by the fridge, which gave coverage of both the kitchen and the dining room, one on a lampshade in the living room, and finally, one in the bedroom on his dresser. _Damn, if you aren't actively looking for these things, you could forget that they're there…_ He then followed the instructions inside the package, turning on the storage unit before leaving it on the kitchen table. When he was finished, Jackson threw the box in the trash can.

Finally, he heard the water stop in the bathroom, soon followed by the opening of the door. Sally joined him in the dining room. "Hey," he said with a smile. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him several licks across the cheek. _Huh, pretty affectionate today._ Not that he ever minded - rather, he always enjoyed her loving gestures towards him. "I brought you something from Johto Steakhouse. Your favorite - parmesan-crusted chicken." She gave him an appreciative nod before grabbing the meal off of the counter. "Oh, I almost forgot…"

He headed to the cupboard and took out the bottle of pills, opening it and dropping one into his hand. She took it and tossed it into her mouth. He walked back to the dining room table and took his spot. _Wasn't there something else I wanted to tell her?_ Whatever it was, it could wait - she was really setting in to her food. "Hungry, are we?" She nodded, continuing to devour the food. In a moment, she was finished, to which she reached for the notepad.

 _Thank you._

"Don't mention it Sal." He gingerly rubbed her back, resulting in that lowly purr that he loved to hear from her. She pressed against his side as she enjoyed the tender affection. "So, what would you like to do now?"

 _Could we take a nap?_ she wrote.

"Still tired?" She nodded. "How? You slept pretty late this morning…"

 _Please?_ she asked. As if he could possibly turn down her asking nicely. And he _could_ use an hour or two more, being that he had woken up so early.

"Alright, sure," he replied. Sally grabbed his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. "Gimme a sec. I'm gonna change into something more comfortable." He grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom, where he replaced his jeans with a pair of gym shorts. She was laying on her side, clearly waiting for him, and patted the spot beside her. Jackson joined her, and soon the salazzle had adjusted herself to where she was all but on top of him. Her head was pressed against his chest, with her maw resting in the crook of his neck. The two of them had always shared a strong bond, but Jackson couldn't help but blush from the sheer closeness that they were sharing now. But there was no denying that, despite the awkwardness of the situation, he was enjoying it. He eventually drifted off, the last thing registering to his mind being a light kiss from his pokémon.

 **. . . . .**

They would both come to know that Saturday evening as the day that everything changed for the both of them. Jackson woke to find himself alone in the bed, much to his confusion. Had she not wanted to rest with him? Why then was she missing? He stood up, noticing the orange light peeking through the blinds. _I must have slept longer than I thought._ Looking at his phone, he was shocked. _Shit, I was out for over four hours!_ He went into the bathroom, splashing some water on his face to fully wake himself up. For some reason, his head was numb.

Upon walking into the front of the house, he found her sprawled out on the couch, watching television. "There you are. I was wondering where you'd run off to." She gave him a warm smile. "Well… it's about time for dinner now. Should I call something in?" A simple nod was his reply. "How about pizza?" She seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding once again. "Alright then." He sat down at the table, flipping open his laptop to look up the restaurant's number. It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye - the storage unit for the surveillance system. A bright blue light flickered on and off on the side, signaling that it had collected footage just as it was supposed to. _Huh, now would be a good time to see how this thing works._ He uncapped the USB port on the end and plugged it into his laptop. Immediately a white Silph icon popped up on his desktop. He clicked on it, seeing several individual videos in a queue, most of which were only a few seconds - the result of briefly walking past a camera. All of the video clips also had the date and time beneath them. He decided to play them in order.

The first clip was about three seconds, originating from the bedroom. Sally had finished drying off from her shower, tossed the towel back into the bathroom, and left the bedroom. _Kinda wish it had sound,_ he thought. But then again, he did suppose that miniature concealable cameras _did_ have their limits. The next was even shorter in its length, being from the living room camera, barely managing to cover Sally's turn around the corner into the dining room. The next clip was several minutes in length. He watched as he spoke with her, knowing the words that had been said without being able to hear them. Later, she went into the kitchen, where she picked up her meal, and he gave her the pheromone suppressant. That was when he found himself in disbelief.

The video was clear as day. The moment he turned around, she spit the pill back out and quietly tossed it into the trash. _Wh…what? Why would she do that?_ He couldn't comprehend it for the life of him. He decided to watch the next few clips in order to try and receive some sort of answer. What he found was nothing short of that.

Another couple of meaningless clips before one that was somehow over fifteen continuous minutes in length. _What the hell?_ How was that possible? The cameras required a certain level of movement before they activated and recorded. He clicked on the video.

The two of them were side by side, but the covers over Sally began to ruffle. _So that's what activated the camera…_ She stealthily maneuvered her way out of the bed without waking him, then walked around it, standing over him in quite an unnerving manner and seemingly contemplating something. For some reason, she lifted her tail, slowly waving it over his sleeping form. _What is she doing?_ This continued for a few moments before she tossed the covers aside. He was out like a light and wouldn't be waking up any time soon. He could only watch in horror as she did the unthinkable.

The next scenes passed by in a disturbing blur. He silently stared as she climbed on top of him; claimed his mouth and worked her way down. Trailing her tongue over his chest and abs, then to the hem of his boxers. _Please… please don't_. But he was powerless to stop what had already occurred, watching in horror as she had her way with him. Though she never went further than using her mouth while tending to herself, the trainer was livid - betrayed by the person he thought so highly of.

Jackson slammed his fist on the table, sick to his stomach and beyond livid. How could she? His best friend all this time had been doing _this_ to him - clouding his senses with her pheromones and using him. No wonder the pills hadn't been working on certain days - she wasn't taking them! Sally approached him, likely curious as to whatever he could be so upset about. Oh, she was about to find out…

"You… I fucking _trusted_ you." She was taken back by his words, hurt by the venomous tone of his voice. But he could care less about that at the moment. "After all this time… you would do something like _this_ to me?!" He spun the computer around, showing her the video of her aftermath - her licking every trace of her session clean. She stumbled back in terror - he had discovered her darkest secret in the worst way imaginable. "My best friend… someone that I loved and cared about - more than anyone else in the world - was raping me! You were the best thing to happen to me, and you turned out to be treating me like some fucking sex toy! I just don't… I should smash your ball into a thousand fucking pieces!"

She tried to grab a notepad, perhaps to write out how sorry she was, or maybe beg not to be released. But Jackson would be having none of that. He snatched it up before she get it, throwing it into the wall and causing papers to fly in each direction. "Like hell, there's nothing you could say to fix this!" At this point, she was unable to withhold the tears any longer. It had no effect on the enraged trainer, though. She reached out to him, but he recoiled away from her. "Don't touch me you whore! You hear me?! Don't ever touch me again!"

His words struck her to the very core, causing the salazzle to freeze. The second they had left Jackson's mouth he had regretted them. But there was no taking back what had been said. She looked down, then nodded, before slowly walking back to the bedroom, her tail dragging the whole way. _I… I shouldn't have said that,_ he thought as he heard her sobbing in the back of the house. Granted, he was still pissed - that much went without saying, and the idea of releasing her was still in the back of his head. But despite what he had learned, he couldn't deny the fact that his relationship with Sally, however tattered it may now be, was still a fundamental part of his life. They had always been there for each other, from the first moment onward. And now, in his fit of rage, he had crushed her soul.

He shook his head at the thought. _Arceus… what have I done?_ He disliked the idea of hurting her just as much as finding out that she had secretly been doing _that_ to him. Maybe even more. But why was this? He was still mad at her, so why should her feelings come before his well-justified anger? This brought up the question of what their relationship had meant, and which way it would now head.

Before all of this, she was the single person he cherished most in the world. Even more so than his own family. When he really thought about it, everything he did was dedicated to the two of them, and he could not bear the idea of life without her. Jackson couldn't help but wonder - was everything that she had done to him out of lust? It was then that he remembered that the video was still silently going on.

By this point, she had finished cleaning him up. She pulled the covers over him once again, then remained standing. She looked ashamed of what she had done to him, and held her hand in place in the middle of his chest. Gradually, Sally trailed it up to his cheek, where she lowered her head to his. Briefly she touched her maw to his lips and just stood there. His salazzle definitely lusted after him - there was no questioning that. But there was also love present. The final seconds of that clip were her running out of the room, her face buried in her hands. _She… Sally actually feels for me…_

Throughout the years that they had been together, Jackson had never been able to see it. But when he thought about it, it all started to make sense. _That's why… she refused all of those males_. Males that most female pokémon would gladly take, given the chance. Sally, though, had turned each and every one of them down, telling her trainer that none of them were 'her type.' From her evolution onward, she had already established what she had wanted - him. _And I was too blind to see it…_

He would be lying if he said that he didn't find Sally attractive - at least, for a pokémon - but he had never even considered the prospect that she might fall for a human. With that in mind, he had never given any thought to her as anything more than his pokémon and friend. With this revelation being brought to light, though, he was forced to consider what Sally truly meant to him. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became - feelings of distrust and anger clashed with those of concern and sympathy. _I need to speak with her_ , he finally decided. _Speak to her how she deserves to be spoken to, and apologize for being so heartless earlier…_ He stood up and began to make his way to the bedroom.

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

 _You've gone and done it now_ , she thought. There were no more tears left to cry. She had lost the person that she treasured most in the world, and had thrown away their relationship just because she couldn't control her urges towards him. And now she would be separated from him forever. Oh, what she wouldn't give to go back and undo it all. But she was born as a salandit, not a celebi.

With a shaking hand, she grabbed a pen and the nearest notepad, and began to write. Her handwriting was sloppier than ever before.

 _Jackson,_

 _Words cannot express how sorry I am for what I did to you. I hope that someday you may find it in yourself to forgive me. I ruined everything that we had and that is a mistake that I cannot compensate for. You were right - nothing I can say will fix what I did. I am not worth someone like you. I hope you find a girl that you can trust. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I could never bear a life away from you. That's not one worth living as far as I'm concerned. Goodbye, and know that I wouldn't have traded our time together for anything._

 _-Sally_

And that was that. She meant every word in the letter, which she tore out of the notepad and set in front of their picture. It was then that she got up and headed around to the dresser. Most of the drawers obviously contained clothes - all but that small one at the top right corner. The one that she was not supposed to open.

A single object was inside - a Colt Cobra. The snub-nosed .38 special would do the job without a problem. Quietly, she took it into her shaking hand and looked at the intimidating device. Just like the snake it was named after, only it had a lethal bite worse than any pokémon. A bite that would end her pain - the pain of a life without the one she cared for most. She placed her two thumbs on the hammer and pulled it back, meeting almost no resistance whatsoever. With the hammer cocked, she closed her eyes and put it to the side of her head, her finger resting on the trigger. _Goodbye… Jackson._

Her whole world was rocked. She fell against the wall, and the revolver flew to the side and into the bathroom. But somehow, her brain was still intact. Sally looked up to see the teary-eyed face of her trainer, who had rammed into her. _Jackson…_ Despite what she had done, he was there, and not an ounce of rage seemed to be on him.

"Don't… don't you _ever_ even think about doing something like that again…" he wailed. "I can't… I can't lose you Sally…" She stared up at him hopefully as he grasped her for dear life. "I can't lose you…" he repeated. The salazzle was awestruck by the display, touched that he still felt so strongly about her. It was then that he did something she had never seen before. He cried. _Arceus, he still cares for me!_ It may not be in the same way that she cared for him, but she would take it. Overwhelmed by it all, she couldn't help but embrace him back.

The two of them sat there for an untold amount of time, with Jackson putting her previous sobs to shame, clearly traumatized by what he had just seen. She rubbed his back comfortingly, and despite the situation, couldn't be happier. "Promise me…" he sniffed, "that you won't ever try that again…" She nodded through her own tears, a small smile on her face. Seeing her alive and looking back at him made Jackson feel as though he were the luckiest man in the world. When he was able to compose himself, Jackson stood up and took a seat on the side of the bed.

"…Look, I'm sorry for breaking down like that… and for saying all that shit earlier." Sally grabbed the notepad before taking the spot beside him.

 _It's ok._

"No, it isn't." He looked down, then shook his head. "I was confused and upset. I didn't mean any of that ugly stuff I said back there." It was then that she considered her next course of action. Should she take the risk? After all, it hadn't gone well recently. But maybe it would be different this time - he was aware, and seemed to harvest no resentment towards her. _Well… I don't really have anything to lose at this point…_ She decided to do it - to take his hand.

He looked at her as a result of the unexpected contact, but made no effort to escape her light hold. Rather, he placed his other hand on top of hers, sending a warm feeling throughout the salazzle's smaller body. _This… this might actually work!_ The thought excited her innermost being. It was a gesture that they had done countless times in the past, but now it was different. Jackson knew of her feelings for him and yet he did not try to resist her.

"I want… I want to try to start over with all this," he stammered. "Actually talk it over… not do what I did earlier…" She wrote out her response.

 _Alright then. Let's talk._

"Huh, where to start…" he trailed off. "Well… I guess I'd like to know why you did it…" Of course, Sally should have seen such a question coming from a mile away, but yet she was unprepared to answer it. After all, it was quite an emotional topic. But yet he deserved an answer.

 _Ever since I've evolved, I've felt for you. For over two years now, I've been having dreams about you. About us doing certain things. By doing what I did, I got to experience some of it. I know it was wrong but I just couldn't stop. I'm sorry Jackson._

Her words gave him mixed feelings. The situation at hand made him feel uncomfortable to say the least - his best friend had been using him in such a lewd way, after all. But knowing what he knew now, and seeing how much she truly felt for him - to the point of almost taking her own life in fear of being forced away from him - he could no longer ignore the difficulty on her end. "Why… didn't you just tell me?"

 _I wasn't sure how you would feel about it,_ she replied.

"Much better than I feel about being molested in my sleep…" He lovingly ran his hand down her back, causing her to warmly growl from his touch. "Did you think that I would be repulsed with you? Because you felt for me?" She slowly nodded. "Look Sal, I'll always do my best to help you in any way I can. I wouldn't have been disgusted with you because of how you felt for me. I might have been surprised… hell, I _am_ surprised with all of this… but I wouldn't have been disgusted." _I might still have a chance!_ she thought.

 _May I ask you something now?_

"Of course," he answered.

 _After all of this, how do you feel about me?_ He paused for a moment, clearly with careful consideration of his response.

"Sally… I don't know," he sighed. "I really don't. To me, you've always been my best friend, and I didn't think of you as… well, you know…" She nodded, a clear look of disappointment on her face. "But everything that happened today… kinda forced me to think it all over. I hurt you, and knowing that I did made me feel horrible. And you almost… Sally, seeing you almost pull the trigger like that scared me far worse than finding out what you were doing to me in my sleep…" Maybe it wasn't fully the answer she had been hoping for, but it was infinitely better than the outcome she had expected nearly ten minutes ago. Even if Jackson didn't want to take their relationship to the next level, she didn't have to worry about losing what they currently had. No, his outburst had made that very clear.

 _So you don't know?_ Jackson shook his head.

"No. I mean, this is all so sudden… How _could_ I know? I just found out what you'd been doing half an hour ago. Kinda having some mixed feelings here. I need some time to process all this, and I think you might too. So until I've thought it all over, I don't know what to tell you," he replied.

 _I understand_ , she wrote.

"That said, I'm still upset about what you did. Why couldn't you have just said something to me?"

 _I was scared._

"And something like this was a better alternative? You just about killed yourself for Arceus' sake… Quite honestly I'm terrified for your own safety. I mean it Sal, I need you to promise me right here that you won't ever even _think_ about doing something like that again."

 _Alright,_ she replied, _you have my word._

"Good. Now about this whole thing… I just wanna take the rest of the night to get my thoughts in order. I'll call in a pizza, we can eat, and then I'd prefer to be alone for the night. Nothing against you, but… I need some time."

 _Fair enough. I will not press the issue._ Though she wanted to pursue it, it was the least she could do after what she had done.

Dinner that night was awkward. While they ate, Jackson watched the television, not saying much to her. But she knew him well enough to know that his mind was racing at the moment, and that he was contemplating what to do about the situation. As selfish as it sounded, she did wish for him to reach one conclusion over another. But at the end of the day, he hadn't thrown her out or turned her in, both options that most trainers likely would have done in Jackson's circumstance.

When the time had come for them to go to bed, he opted to sleep out on the couch. She nodded, though it was a change from what they had done over the past years. She had always slept with him from day one, but Sally knew why things were different tonight. Deep down, he was likely wondering if he could trust her. And that was something that could take awhile to build back up again. _I wronged him… and now our relationship could suffer because of it…_

As she turned to head back to the bed, Jackson stopped her. "Sally?" he said from his place on the couch. She looked back questioningly. "Come here." She did as she was told, slowly approaching him, surprised when he tenderly embraced her. "Look, I do love you. I don't know what the hell that means anymore, but it's true. Just… don't ever do shit like that again, okay?" She nodded, her head pressed against his chest. "Alright, good. I'll see you tomorrow."

 **— — — — —**

 **Jackson**

 **— — — — —**

The night had been one of the longest he could remember. Whatever had been on TV had been nothing but background noise for hours as his mind was racing with thoughts of the situation at hand. He'd be lying if he were to say that he wasn't still upset about her deceit - that much was given.

But her feelings were something else entirely. The two of them had been as thick as thieves ever since she had become his pokémon. Back when he had graduated, Sally was the first one to embrace him, sprinting ahead of even his family to jump into his arms. And then not long after that she had evolved, setting her on the path that they were going down now. Now he was faced with a difficult decision to make - one that would alter their lives forever. If he refused her advances, then he'd likely hurt the poor girl's feelings, and even more so if he ever decided to bring another woman home. And if he accepted… then that was another issue entirely. Relationships with pokémon were by no means illegal, and not even terribly uncommon. But there were still some people out there that made a big deal about it, and harassment was not something that he exactly looked forward to. Then again, who said he had to be open about it?

 _I can't actually be considering this,_ Jackson mused to himself. Just a day ago, he would have been completely taken back by thoughts of that nature. _What would Mom and Dad think of something like that? I'd have to tell them eventually…_ His parents were fairly laid back - just like he had turned out to be - with his mother being more so. But he had no idea what their opinion would be on such a thing, or how they would react if they found out that their only son wouldn't be producing any human offspring. _Shit, why is all this so complicated?_ If only Sally were a human, then the decision would be easier to make.

But maybe he was making this harder than it needed to be. If he was going to be in a relationship, then one question over all others was prioritized: did he actually love her? Or rather, did he love her like _that_? And that was a question that he had no answer to. He wished this could be easier, but of course, he had no such luck.

And he hadn't exactly made this easy on her, either. True, she was the one who wronged him, but her feelings were something that he had likely assisted in the development of. The gestures he had always made towards her were not those that an ordinary trainer would do. After all, he had never seen another trainer kiss their pokémon. Even if it was always on the forehead or the cheek, he had still done it countless times. Part of him was to blame for all this as well.

He looked at the revolver in his hand. The very object he had purchased to protect the two of them had nearly been used for the opposite purpose. A noticeable scratch stretched along the surface of the cylinder. And the previous situation aside, Jackson wouldn't be able to cope with himself if something like that had happened. The very thought of walking into such a traumatizing scene was enough to bring tears to his eyes. A life without her wasn't one that he could really live either.

Perhaps that was his answer. It was clear that he needed her just as much as she needed him. Maybe that alone warranted giving this a shot. And if he didn't like it, nobody said he had to continue, though of course such a course of action would likely break the salazzle's heart more than him refusing her from the very beginning. No, if he was willing to give this a shot, then he would need to be absolutely sure of it to prevent something like that from happening. _I guess I'll have to see tomorrow,_ he thought, turning over underneath the blanket. Deciding to sleep on the matter, Jackson called it a night.

 **. . . . .**

The following morning was relatively uneventful, much to his surprise. He woke up to the scent of her cooking breakfast, just as they usually did. Sally tried to maintain the image of their usual routine, of course to no avail. It didn't seem to help that he had called in sick for the next two days, either. It had gotten to the point where she averted her gaze every time he looked even remotely in her direction, and he even felt sorry for her nervousness. "Look Sal," he finally said, "you don't have to be scared. It's not like I'm gonna throw you out or anything."

 _And nobody appreciates that more than me,_ she replied.

"So could ya stop acting so jumpy?" She slowly nodded as she set the dishes on the counter, before pushing her stepping stool up to the sink. But he could tell that she didn't really mean it. "Alright, you aren't gonna make this easy on me, are you?" He carried his own plate into the kitchen, setting it down and embracing her from behind. "Look, I know things might not be able to go back to normal between the two of us… Hell, I'd be lying if I said that it could be. But I've been thinking it over… this might work." She made eye contact with him, and the hopeful look was impossible to ignore. "I didn't really think of you as… you know… It's weird to think of a human and a pokémon like that. But I'd be willing to give it a shot. Only because it's you." The salazzle's expression, for the first time since everything had gone south, was beaming with joy. She hugged him tightly, and despite everything that had happened, Jackson returned it.

The two of them worked their way over to the couch, where she continued to embrace him. "You're gonna have to give me a minute," he said as her actions became more sensual. "You gotta keep in mind that this is all new to me. If we're to do this, we'll have to do it at my pace." She relented, then nodded in agreement. That was only fair, after all. Sally had not changed her position though, remaining on his lap, giving him gentle yet affectionate gestures. Her hand found its way to his cheek, and she looked him in the eyes. She wasn't pressing anything further, but he could tell that she wasn't about to resist if he decided to do so. Jackson knew that she was definitely attractive for a pokémon, but whether or not he found pokémon attractive in that way was another matter entirely. That and the fact that he had said he'd at least give this a shot… there was only one way to find out. They closed the distance between the two of them.

Jackson was stunned as he tasted the breath of his best friend of five years - something that he would never have seen himself doing before. His mind was blank; he simply stayed still as she passionately claimed him. Her eyes were shut as she shyly pressed on, putting everything he had into the action. _Sally…_ He could feel his cheeks growing warm. Her grip on him was firm, but not forceful. Something else made contact with his lips: her tongue begging for entry. As he contemplated whether or not he even liked this kind of contact with her, she leaned forward, pushing him on his back. Gasping in shock, he accidentally gave her the access that she had been wanting. Her longer tongue danced around his, and he tried in vain to stop the bulge in his shorts from growing. _Was_ this what he wanted? He had only but a moment to decide. As if they had a mind of their own, his hands clasped her back, pulling her in closer. _What… what am I doing?_ His body seemed to react on its own, drawing her into him. _Is this… what I want?_ His body and mind were seemingly leading him in different directions.

But as he contemplated his next course of action, she withdrew from his mouth, giving him an expression of pure happiness. She placed her hand back on the side of his face, gently running her claws along his cheek. As she blissfully looked at him, he couldn't help but think of their time together. Every day, whether it had been during his time in school or in the workforce, she had always been there. He could always look forward to returning to the cheerful salazzle that he knew he would come home to. And all these years, she had been ignoring the majority of body's urges, turning down every male that approached her, because she wanted him. Granted, what she had been doing to him as of recently was unacceptable, but the intensity of her feelings for him outweighed her misconduct in his mind.

All this time he could have easily shut this down. All he did, though, was look back at her. "Ah what the hell," he finally said. With a quick motion, he flipped the both of them over, savoring the pleasant shock plastered on her face. "I love you too." This time, he claimed her mouth as he softly pinned her down.

As she embraced him throughout their lip-lock, Jackson felt a lone hand slip into the side of his shorts. She was asking for permission. "Do you… want to?" She reached for the notepad and quickly scribbled something on it.

 _More than anything._

"A-alright then…" Though he was unsure of himself, having never done this before, Jackson was not going to let her down; he had just about done that yesterday and it had nearly cost her life. He stood up, and the two of them wordlessly made their way back to the bedroom.

 **— — — — —**

 **Sally**

 **— — — — —**

It was early in the afternoon before she regained consciousness. He was once again in their shared bed, and she found herself holding onto him lovingly - a welcome change as opposed to last night. Only difference was that this time his clothes weren't on. This time, it hadn't all been a dream.

Unlike her, though, the male was completely out for the count. He wasn't the snoring type by any means, but Jackson hadn't budged in the slightest from his position last night. Sally gently came in even closer, placing her maw in the crook of his neck. Her scent had intermingled with his own, and any pokémon with even the slightest sense of smell would be able to tell what had occurred.

Deciding that he would likely prefer to go out and do something for the rest of the day, Sally gently shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. After a few seconds, his eyes slowly cracked open. "What?" he mumbled. "What's going on?" She pointed towards the clock, which he turned to look at. "Ah shit… we were out for almost three hours…" Jackson rubbed his eyes, then slowly sat up. "Well, I probably should get up…"

Following him, she managed to get onto her feet, despite the slight soreness in her lower body. And if everything went according to plan, that would be nothing compared to what she would feel later on tonight. She grabbed her notepad and pen while he sat on the edge of the bed.

 _What should we do for lunch?_ she wrote.

"I dunno. Wanna grab something out? She shrugged.

 _Sounds good to me,_ she replied. Finally up and about, Jackson disappeared into the living room, returning with the revolver in his hand. The light must have hit it just right, as she could see a clear scratch along its surface. And he had saved up awhile to get that, too. _I'm sorry,_ she wrote. He looked at her in confusion, before realizing what she was talking about.

"Oh this? Don't be," he said, setting it in the drawer and shutting it, "I wouldn't prefer it any other way, and I'd do it a thousand fucking times over again." She nodded her head, before tenderly embracing him.

She had been very fortunate last night. She didn't know if she would have been able to go through with that… but it was best not to even think about it. She very well could have lost her life, and she had counted on losing Jackson. But her only explanation was the intervention of Arceus himself, and for that she was grateful.

No, now there was no need to ever think about resorting to such measures again. She held his hand as they made their way into the bathroom, where they would share a shower this time. _He'll need to wash well_ , she mused to herself, _or else every pokémon within a mile radius will know what he's been up to._ But then again, the looks that he'd get from them might be worth it. She laughed to herself. _That and they'll know he's mine._

"What do you find so funny?" Sally just shook her head. "Alright then. I'll just remember that next time you wanna do it," he said jokingly. _Oh, I'm sure that'll be the last thing on your mind._ "Now let's get cleaned up. Maybe we could pick out some rings today."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **And that marks the end of my first one-shot. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and hope to see you all soon!**


	3. Unnatural Disasters

**A/N: Well, here's the longest single one-shot in the fandom. We actually looked and couldn't find any that were longer, the next one being ten _thousand_ words shorter. This story, not including any of this author note wording, is about 30,500 words long. It's a request fulfillment for ****Zinulviing for winning the commission drawing. If any of you would like a similar request, be sure to check the information chapter for this collection.**

 **Special thanks once again to Orthros for the beta-reading services, _especially_ for a story of this length. That's a lot of time and effort, and it's greatly appreciated. **

**Now onto the story. Hope that y'all enjoy!**

* * *

 **"One of the first things taught in introductory statistics textbooks is that correlation is not causation. It is also one of the first things forgotten."**

 **-Thomas Sowell**

* * *

 **Unnatural Disasters**

 **(F Absol x M Human)**

 **Year: 2043**

 **Location: Coronet Mountain Range, Sinnoh**

The frigid mountain air stung his cheeks, and snow had managed to find its way into every tiny opening within his coat. But he had to keep moving, for as miserable as the journey was, he refused to go back. There was no going back - not for some time. _Only two more months left…_

He spotted a small opening in the side of the mountain, only about a few feet inward. But that would be enough for him to get out of the snowstorm for a moment and regain his bearings. Moorvik was still at least a day's walk, maybe a day and a half, and that was if he was still headed in the right direction. Vincent set down his pack, removing the rolled up tent so he could access the inside. Taking off his gloves, he pulled out the folded map, opening it up and holding it alongside his compass. Having circled around the western side of Mount Coronet, he was attempting to head into the small, isolated town. It'd be an ideal place to lay low for some time. _Alright, I didn't go too far off course._ He'd already dyed his hair once again - jet black this time - and he'd finally shaved his facial hair in an effort to alter his appearance as much as possible. The weight loss had also served to his benefit for the same purposes, though he was getting lighter than he preferred. At six feet tall, he was now a hundred sixty-eight pounds, whereas in the past he had weighed as much as two hundred, with an average build.

Vincent folded the map up once again before placing it back in his bag. As long as he kept heading east, he should come across the small town eventually. _Well… that is if I don't get caught in a snowstorm again…_ The blizzards had been raging off and on as long as he had been in the mountain range, and it was getting to be more than a nuisance. He only had a few days worth of supplies left, so his time was becoming very limited. While food was not his main concern - though he was running a bit low in that department as well - the battery on his portable heater would be dead before long, and that would risk him freezing to death. He would have to find civilization soon. Putting his hands back into his coat pockets for warmth, Vincent continued his journey through the frozen wasteland.

 **. . . . .**

It had taken some time, but eventually he found himself near the edge of a cliff, scoping out Moorvik with his binoculars. The town was small alright - certainly no more than a couple hundred people. A place like this would be perfect for staying off the radar for the remaining time.

It had taken him some serious maneuvering down the mountain, but eventually he had worked his way to where he was level with the town. Moorvik had been built about twenty miles from the peak of Coronet and in a flatter region, most likely to avoid the blunt of any avalanches. A concrete wall surrounded the town, about ten feet tall. Whether or not that might stop the cascading snow, Vincent wasn't sure, but surely it had to offer some peace of mind to the people within. It might just come in use, too: Moorvik had been built downhill from a slight incline that led North, and South was a gentle hill that housed dozens of sharp boulders. But the people had likely known that they were in for when they'd constructed the town. At least, hopefully…

As he had worked his way to the western entrance of town, he noticed that there weren't too many townsfolk out and about. Granted, he couldn't blame them at this temperature - he looked forward to getting inside himself - but he was expecting a little more than just the strange looks from the few people in sight. _Must not be used to newcomers._ He looked towards the most welcoming - or the least _not_ welcoming - person.

"Hey, know where I can find work around here?" The older man had a full, grey beard, and looked back at him with a stern, yet uninterested gaze.

"Best guess is the general store. Johnathan knows everyone around here." The man pointed towards the center of town, and Vincent nodded.

"Alright, thanks." He headed towards the store, already disliking the air of hostility that this place offered. But he supposed that if he lived in below freezing temperatures year-round, he'd be pretty miserable too. Fortunately he wouldn't be here long - only a few months or so. The sign outside was encapsulated within a thin sheet of ice, and icicles clung to the metal plate. But this was certainly the right place. He gently pushed the door open, relishing in the warmth from within the building. Aside from the gray-haired man behind the counter, he was the only one inside.

"You sure ain't from around these parts," the store owner said.

"Yeah, you could say that. Vincent," he said, introducing himself.

"John." They shook hands. Quickly scanning the room, Vincent could see products of all sorts there - from canned foods to hiking and winter gear, to the few models of firearms inside the glass case next to Johnathan. "Sell just about everything in here, don't you?"

"Everything you need in Moorvik. Whatcha looking for?"

"Work, actually. Got any leads?" Vincent asked.

"Well with all the people dyin' around here, that shouldn't be hard to come by. That is, if you don't mind being in freezing temperatures all damn day," the shopkeeper said.

"Not really. I'll take anything right about now."

"You're trying to get away from something, aren't ya? Family? Or maybe a midlife crisis of some sort?" Vincent just shook his head.

"Not that old," he said with a laugh.

"Eh, well ain't none of my business. Anyways, your best bet is to try the hunting crew, if that's down your alley. There's always openings, especially after all these snowstorms started rolling in. Stick with everyone else and you shouldn't go missing."

"I don't have a rifle," Vincent replied.

"Pretty sure they'll have a few extra."

"Good. Where would I find them?"

"Like a building? They're just a bunch of locals. Don't think they've got any set area of operations. But you'll know them when you see 'em."

"Alright. Much appreciated." He was about to turn around and make his way out of the store, but then he remembered something else - something essential. "Wait, actually got one other question."

"Shoot."

"Know where I can rent around here? I'll be here for some time, but definitely not long enough for a house."

"Funny you mention that," Johnathan said, "I've got a guest bedroom upstairs. Built it for when my son would visit, only he doesn't come around much anymore."

"How much?" John just laughed.

"Not like you got much a choice around these parts. No one that I know rents, and I know everyone in this town. But don't worry, I won't stiff ya. How's two-fifty sound?"

"A month?" Johnathan nodded. "Sure. That's cheap as hell back home."

"Good. You can go upstairs and leave your stuff there if you want. Looks like it's pretty heavy," John said, referencing to his pack.

"Yeah, no kidding. And thanks. I'll probably be back around here later tonight."

Once he had dropped his stuff off, Vincent decided to have a look around town. From what little he could gather from the anti-social members of the village, the hunters had left two days ago in pursuit of a herd of bighorn sheep. Nobody had heard anything from them since.

Over the course of the day, he familiarized himself as much as he could with Moorvik. The town was small enough to the point where it lacked even a small sheriff's office. Only one general goods store, and one for groceries. A tiny, wooden school building had been constructed in the western half of town, and it educated kids ranging from kindergarten to high-school. It was all in all a very tiny community, almost like what he had been used to growing up. Of course, it was a lot colder here…

Towards nightfall, Vincent had just about decided to head back to Johnathan's, but he stopped upon hearing some sort of commotion originating from the northern gate. _Might as well check it out,_ he thought. Not like there was anything else to do around here. Two people rushed by him, carrying a stretcher as they hurried towards the scene. _What the hell happened?_ He assumed a brisk pace until he joined the crowds.

There were five men in total, and all were clad in thick, fur-covered coats. Their faces lacked much color due to the frigid temperatures, and they all had rifles and revolvers. Two of the men were holding their blood-soaked companion between their shoulders, which was soon placed onto the stretcher and carried away. The wound was originating from his head, and a sizable chunk of his face was missing. _Arceus, that looks bad…_

"It was that fucking devil again!" one of them said with hatred.

"Oh no…" one of the villagers said.

"Yeah, and that bastard had it in for us, too. Showed up just like always, but this time we got separated. Shaun took a fucking fall when he got close."

"Dammit. This is getting out of hand," someone else said.

"Fuck yeah it is. This asshole's got what? Fourteen heads? Won't ever get close enough for us to put a fucking bullet in him though," said another one of the hunters.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, causing the hunters to look at him.

"Who are you? Haven't seen you around," the apparent leader had said. He had short, brown hair, wearing a felt cowboy hat, and he had a more stern look than anyone Vincent had ever seen before. Maybe a few years older than him; upper twenties. Vincent could make out an old, engraved Colt Anaconda holstered on his side.

"I'm new in town. Just got here today."

"Well you've come at a pretty shitty time. Place is being attacked by some asshole in the mountains."

"Is it a pokémon?" Vincent asked.

"I think so. It ain't no regular animal, I can tell you that right now. Far too smart, and way stronger."

"Ah shit. That doesn't give me much of a lead."

"Well how about this then? He's white and has this sickle-shaped horn on his head. Brings a fucking snowstorm everywhere with him." Vincent didn't know a whole lot about pokémon, but he did have a pokédex. With information like that, he could probably look through the handheld encyclopedia in his spare time and find the species. Though right now that wasn't the primary concern.

There wasn't much he could do other than watch as the people went back to their own business. But at least he knew who the hunters were. Now was as good a time as any to inquire about joining them. He waited until there were only a few people left, one of which was the guy with the revolver, before walking up towards him.

"Need something?" he asked.

"Yeah, kinda. I'm Vincent by the way."

"Keith," he said, shaking hands with him. "Now what is it? We've been freezing our balls off for the last two days. I'm about ready to get inside now."

"Nothing much. I was just looking for work and was told that y'all might be the ones to talk to."

"Yeah, you were probably told that because people keep fuckin' dying on us. We're a man down now, so that's some good timing, if you could call it that, but we're not responsible if you wind up like Shaun there."

"Never said you were. But I don't have a rifle."

"You can borrow his. Not like he'll be making use of it for some time. Got any experience at all with guns?" asked Keith.

"Not too much. I've shot an AR-15 a time or two before, and I have a nine with me, but that's about it."

"Good enough. Not like we're in a position to turn people away, anyways. We had ten a few months ago, you know."

"Shit, that is pretty rough," he admitted. "But I need the money. When can I start?"

"Well given that we do too, we'll be heading out in four days. Should be long enough for everyone to regain their bearings after that bullshit," Keith said.

With some form of employment now secured, it seemed as though Vincent was set. He thanked Keith for his time before heading back to the general store. Just as he had entered, Johnathan was closing up shop for the day. "You've been out for awhile. Any luck?"

"Yep. The hunting crew came back. One of their guys was banged up pretty bad. Think his name was Shaun?"

"Damn, that sucks to hear. He's a good kid. Hoping he recovers soon."

"I dunno about that," Vincent replied. "They said he hadn't been conscious since he fell. And it was his head that was injured. Keith said something about some white pokémon that had attacked them in the mountains. I have no idea what it was though."

"Ah, you mean the doom bringer? There's a price on his head, that's for sure. He's been terrorizing this village for nearly half a year now. And to make things worse, there are supposedly a whole bunch of the damn things out there."

"Doesn't sound too good. Has anyone tried to do something about it?"

"Sure. The hunters run into the thing all the time. Always right before a blizzard or an avalanche. That's why they haven't been able to kill the damn thing." John had walked by him, flipping the closed sign around in the window of the store. "I know it's never been particularly warm around these parts… but things have been real bad ever since it showed up."

"That reminds me - I'm kinda wondering what species this thing is," Vincent said.

"Beats me. No one around here really knows a lot about those creatures. All I know is that they're out there and that it's best to avoid them whenever possible," John replied. "Them people down there - they could probably tell ya what it is in a heartbeat. But we've never been involved in all that shit. Only two people in town have ever even had 'em from what I understand, and both of 'em have been dead for some time."

"I've got a pokédex in my stuff upstairs. I was thinking about looking through it and trying to figure out what the hell we're up against. Might highlight some of its weak points."

"I'd be interested in seeing that. You go get it while I finish up here." John had gone about setting the small alarm on the gun case as Vincent headed up the stairs. His room was directly on the right, while John's was straight ahead. He still had yet to really unpack, but granted everything he owned fit in that large pack, that shouldn't take him much time at all. But he set stuff aside as he dug deeper into the bag, eventually reaching the small, handheld device. They had been engineered with one of the recently developed, more portable VFTs built into the system - which, in reality, occupied the majority of the device's processing power. This particular model might give him some sort of lead, but he doubted it would be much. It had been programmed with young trainers in mind so that they could discover species on their own. But at least it would tell him the name, type, and some basic information. That was certainly better than nothing.

He scrolled through hundreds of different images of pokémon, most of which he'd never seen before. But then again, Vincent had not been one to get too involved with the creatures. Not to say that he didn't want to - quite the opposite, actually. But things had taken a turn for the worse, and now that would be an opportunity that he wouldn't be able to explore. _That one!_ Jackson thought, before turning the small screen towards Johnathan.

"Yup," he said, already disliking the image, "that fits the description, alright. An absol, huh? What's that thing say about it?"

"Not too much. It's one of those trainer models, so it doesn't really tell you anything until you meet one. But it does say that they're dark-types. Looks like it's pretty strong, too."

"You could say that. I'd doubt it would've killed as many as it has if it was weak. Whoever manages to take the damn thing out is gonna be a local hero, that's for sure." With the store closed, the two of them headed upstairs, the wood creaking with each step. "Didn't think to ask, but you got anything to eat?"

"Got a few of my provisions left in my bag. I'll need to buy a few things come tomorrow, though."

"Alright. Just wanted to make sure you're all taken care of. Holler if you need anything, alright?" John asked.

"Sure thing. Thanks by the way."

"No problem. 'Night," Nathan said.

"Goodnight."

 **. . . . .**

The rifle was definitely old - at least sixty or seventy - but it looked like it would do its job without a hitch. Vincent had been given Shaun's rifle after the young hunter had passed away from his injury, and now the desire to hunt down this absol was stronger than ever before. _Well if a .308 won't do it, I don't know what will_ , he thought as he pushed the last cartridge into the five-round magazine. The gun had clearly been worked over, as the bolt pushed the bullet into the chamber without even the slightest bit of resistance. It was a nice piece, and had a great scope to compliment it. It was only a shame that its owner had died.

"Aight, time to go," said Austin. Among the group, he seemed to be the sharpshooter, and his setup suggested as much. HIs rifle had a 16x scope, and though Vincent didn't know a whole lot about rifles, he had guessed that one had cost well over a couple thousand. He was a tall, lanky guy, and his full beard was orange and wild. "You don't fire a damn shot until I say so, understand?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Good. Shouldn't take you too long to get the hang of it. Hopefully you'll last a bit longer than the last few."

"That's reassuring," Vincent stated. "But right now, I need the money. I don't got a choice."

"As long as you use your head, you should be fine. Between the two of us, that's what got Shaun killed. He thought he could flank that creature by going up a steeper side of the cliff. We all said it was a bad idea, but he didn't listen. He ended up coming face to face with that thing, and I don't know what happened from there, other than seeing it used some sort of ice attack. He shot, and I could tell that he missed - the thing started running off in the other direction and all. But Shaun? He fell thirty fuckin' feet and hit his head. You saw what that looked like."

"Definitely wasn't good."

"Nah. He was a nice guy, though, I'll give him that much. Dumb, but nice. Just don't do that kind of shit and you should be fine. But play stupid games, win stupid prizes." The others had nearly finished packing for the hunt, which could easily last all day. The tent and the portable heater - which now had a new battery from the store - were now going to be essential to take everywhere. Unless he preferred freezing to death, that is. What space in his bag wasn't dedicated to portable shelter was taken up with food.

"That rifle was his father's, ya know," Austin said. "It's taken many animals, too. I tried buying it off of both of 'em, but they wasn't havin' it."

"I wasn't expecting it," Vincent said. "I was just handed one by Keith the other day."

"Nah, you're all good. But it shoots well. They're almost all good shooters - them .308's. I like it's older brother a bit more - the .300 Win Mag - but it's got more recoil. But that there rifle's a real accurate one. It'll be a damn shame when it needs re-barreling. That could fuck it all up. I'd still say you've probably got another couple thousand shots with it before that needs to happen, though." It was clear to Vincent that Austin knew a thing or two about firearms, and definitely someone he'd want with him if he were to get stranded up in the mountains.

"How long have you been here?" Vincent asked.

"Ever since I was born. Same as most people 'round here. You though… why'd you come? Nobody ever moves _into_ Moorvik. Just away from."

"Guess I was looking for something different. I won't be here too long, though."

"I'm not surprised to hear that. Dunno what anyone would wanna stay here for. Not if they're familiar with anything else, at least."

"Is that why you haven't left?" asked Vincent.

"Something like that. But I do just fine up here. Can't complain about too much, other than this fucking weather."

"You think it's that absol?"

"What?" asked Austin.

"That pokémon you've been seeing - it's an absol. You think it's causing these disasters?"

"I know it is. I already told ya the thing's got ice powers. That and the fact that it's fucking stalking us. I've tried putting a bullet in him, but he's a smart one. He never gives me a clear shot."

By now, the others had started joining them at the gate. Keith and Austin seemed to be the ones in charge of the group, while the other three followed behind. Likely case was that they'd been at it the longest, or at least, survived longer than the others.

"Alright, so I went by and checked the cameras this morning," Keith said.

"Any luck?" asked James.

"Yeah. A herd of about twelve passed underneath Larson's Peak yesterday, and the tracks lead out west. They couldn't have gotten too far. Now if we can get even half of 'em, we'll be set for two weeks or so. Each of them should fetch about two, maybe three hundred."

"Damn, that's what'll last you all two weeks up here?" asked Vincent.

"Well sure. No taxes or nothing like that. Most people are just paying utilities and house payments to the mom and pop bank 'round here."

"Didn't think about that. Even back home, it wasn't anything for people to fork over eight hundred or more per month for rent alone," Vincent replied. The cobblestone path had given way to the deep snow, and their journey towards the herd of bighorns had begun.

"No shit? Where'd you come from?"

"Oreburgh."

"Ah, we got us a black lung, eh?" asked Raymond.

"No. They haven't been too big into coal in years. Most of the deposits have been mined out," Vincent said. "And I never was a miner."

"Then you might be the first, coming from that area. Last I heard, that was pretty much all there was to do around there," said Keith.

"Was. But that was a long time ago. They've had a lot of other industry spring up over the past twenty years. I was studying to be a surveyor."

"Yeah, that's about the only skill that'll do you any good out here. That and being able to shoot. Hopefully you can manage on that one."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Austin stated. "That rifle's zeroed in for three hundred yards. Fixed, so you'll need to aim above anything further, or below for anything closer, which probably won't be the case. Most of our shots end up being around four hundred."

"And what makes you think I'll be able to make a shot like that?" he asked.

"I dunno. But if you wanna get paid, then you better make it."

 **. . . . .**

It was a few hours of traveling before they had reached Larson's Peak, and sure enough, the tracks were still visible, albeit barely due to the recent snow. "They couldn't have gone too far," Keith said. "Maybe another few miles out."

"How the hell are we gonna get these things back?" Vincent asked.

"We got a crew that's gonna meet us here. So we'll bring them to the animals. Couldn't imagine trying to carry one of those back."

The crew had made sure to approach from the southeast to keep the sun to their backs, and attempted to stay on the hillside as long as possible. Eventually they found the herd, though, and they had the advantage of height over them. If Vincent had to estimate, he would say that they were a little over four hundred yards away. Keith had already gone about distributing the tripods for more steady shooting. "Alright boys, you know the drill. Call your targets." Each one of them drove the tripods into the ground and set their rifles on top. Vincent looked through the scope and waited to hear which animals the others were going for.

"I've got the one on the far right," Austin said.

"I'll take the one by yours," Keith stated.

"Alright then," said Vincent after both James and Raymond had marked their animals, "I guess I'll get the one out front." The animal he was looking at was about ten yards or so ahead of the others, closer to the position of the hunters. "How far above do I need to aim?" he asked.

"Should be about a foot and a half," Austin replied. "Y'all ready?"

"Sure. On three?"

"Yeah. Listen Vincent, don't fuck this up. We gotta shoot at the same time or else they'll scatter, and most of us are gonna miss," Austin stated.

"Great, no pressure then." He kept the crosshairs above the animal he was looking at to account for the drop, and his breathing became slow and deep.

"One… two… three!" The shots echoed through the mountains, all simultaneously sounding out. The scope jumped rapidly, but not before Vincent saw the animal crumple onto the ground.

"Fuck yeah!" he said. Looking once again through the scope, he could see several animals on the ground. Two were still running, but it was clear that they were heavily wounded, both of which eventually collapsed.

"Looks like we each got one," Austin said. "Good job, boys."

"Guess I'll go get the transport crew. Anyone wanna tag along?"

"Sure, think I will," Vincent said.

The two of them retraced their steps back towards Larson's Peak, which they could see in the distance. Parked underneath were the several vehicles, according to Keith.

"You know, you didn't do half bad back there," Keith stated. "Caught on pretty quick. And half the crew fucked up the timing their first go 'round."

"Yeah, well I was lucky I guess."

"We generally head out every week, sometimes twice a week. Just depends on how much activity there is. If you make your shots count, then you can bag a couple thousand a month easily."

"Really? What do these go for? The bighorns, that is."

"Oh, depends on the weight, of course. Yours looked a bit on the small side for those things, but it should still get a couple hundred easy."

"Good. So that's my rent payment there."

"You just keep at it, and you'll do well enough while you're here. Oh, but if you wanna do _real_ good for yourself, then be the one to cap that thing out there." Vincent looked at him questioningly. "You know, what was it you called it?"

"Oh," he said, "the absol?"

"Yeah, that," Keith replied.

"What, is there some sort of reward on the thing's head?" Vincent asked.

"Hah, reward? Yeah, you could definitely say that. Fifteen-thousand sounds pretty rewarding to me."

"Holy shit…"

"I know. Pretty much the whole town is willing to pitch in and pay whoever kills the fucker. A thousand for each death it's caused." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Damn, I'll need to keep an eye out then…"

"Not if we shoot it first," Keith joked. "Austin and I have been trying our best to get it, but we haven't had any luck. No matter who gets it, though, I'll just be happy to see the thing get dragged back."

 **. . . . .**

"Any luck on the hunt?" Johnathan asked as Vincent walked back into the store.

"Believe it or not, yeah. Managed to make two hundred today, so that's a plus. So now I got everything covered for the month."

"You don't have to pay me in full. Pretty sure you gotta eat," the storeowner said. Little did he know that Vincent had been used to eating very cheaply over the past years.

"Alright, I gotcha."

"Did y'all happen to run into the absol?"

"You know, that seems to be the only thing anyone ever talks about here," Vincent replied.

"I dunno if you've noticed or not, but it's not like there's ever anything exciting going on here. Tell ya what, though, I've sold more guns this past year than I have in the last decade thanks to that thing. I'd almost appreciate it if it weren't killing a lot of the fine folk around here." Vincent shook his head in disbelief. He had no clue how something of those proportions was wreaking such havoc on the town, but it must make up in tenacity what it lacked in size.

"Keith mentioned that there's fifteen grand for anyone who manages to kill it."

"Life changing money, too. At least, in Moorvik, that is. You going for it?" asked Johnathan.

"Yeah, of course."

"Then you got some competition. Been noticing a lot of people are thinking the same thing. I can hardly keep ammunition stocked anymore."

"Well it looks like I've got a challenge on my hands," he said. "And speaking of ammunition, you got any 9mm?"

"Not something I keep a whole ton of on hand, but I may have a box. Most people here use large caliber revolvers. Whatcha got on you?"

"A Sig-Sauer. Last time I checked, it was a P226, or something along the lines of that."

"How do you not know what gun you have?" asked Johnathan. Vincent thought up a quick response.

"Yeah, well I just bought it awhile back and haven't really thought much of it. Something to have just in case I needed it, you know? I haven't _had_ to use it, but now that might just be a possibility…" Johnathan nodded.

"Sure thing. I'd hate to be you if I came up against that thing. Then again, not if you just so happened to kill it. Tell ya what, you go downstairs and see if there's any in the case behind the counter. If there is, you can have it. Keys are over there," he said, motioning by the microwave. "Now I'm going to head off to bed. My back's been killing me lately." With that, the older shopkeeper got on his feet, pushing the chair back under the table.

"Alright then, and thanks. I'll see ya in the morning, John."

"'Night, Vincent."

Once he had left, Vincent had grabbed the keys. But before going downstairs, he went back into his room and retrieved the pistol from his bag. Now it was something that he'd have to keep on himself at all times, especially since he was engaging in bounty hunting in some regard. Though he wasn't fond of the idea of killing a pokémon, he could make an exception in this case. One that had attacked the village on numerous occasions and killed more than a dozen people simply had to go. And a monetary reward of those proportions was hard to turn down. He looked over the pistol, nodding upon realizing that it was in fact a standard model P226. _Hah, got it right after all,_ he thought.

Downstairs, he used the pokédex as a source of light, being that it was the closest thing he could grab, and he hadn't owned a phone in years. That and the fact that a flashlight was one of the built-in features. He knew where to look, and soon, had unlocked the case, sliding the wooden door to the side. The ammunition was stacked to the right of the tobacco products, and Vincent began searching among the various cases. As Johnathan had said, most of the ammunition was either large-caliber revolver cartridges, such as .44 Magnum or .45 Colt, or several main rifle calibers.

 _There we are._ He pulled the transparent box out from behind the others. The only one of it kind, it read 'Federal Premium' on the side. Though he wasn't too familiar with bullet terminology, he recognized these as hollow-points. _The ones that are really supposed to hurt,_ he thought. Bringing the box back upstairs with him, he took the magazine out of his gun. There had only been a few rounds left for some time now, so with this, he was able to fill it with eighteen, before putting one in the chamber and filling the new vacancy. _Alright, got nineteen shots now._ If anything survived that, then he was picking the wrong fight.

 **. . . . .**

Three weeks had passed ever since Vincent had arrived in town, and with several more hunting trips under his belt, he felt that he was starting to get the hang of it. He had taken multiple species of animals, and the terrain had differed, but it was all the same concept. Though he had yet to run into the alleged absol, despite taking several lone trips in search of it.

He thought about his upcoming course of action as they treaded up the steep incline. In a little over a month, he would be able to leave this place. Maybe he might even miss the small village. Though the people came across as stoic and standoffish, most of them seemed to be okay enough. But Moorvik was not a place that Vincent could see himself staying in indefinitely, that much was certain.

"There we are," Austin said, "tracks picked up again. Looks like the herd went up north."

"Really? Why the hell would they go up the mountain? There's not much up there to graze on," Raymond said.

"I dunno, just ask the fucking caribou when we see 'em," Austin replied. Vincent wiped the snow from his brow, ready for this hunt in particular to be over. He felt as though the only thing that he ever thought about was the temperature, but it was hard to think about anything else in such an environment. At least it would all be worthwhile, though, when he brought in a caribou. That could bring him at least five hundred, according to Austin, who had monitored this particular herd and stated that most of them were well over four hundred pounds.

"Is that them up there?" James asked. Keith grabbed his binoculars and looked in the direction that James had motioned.

"Yep, looks like one of 'em. Gonna need a better shot though." He lowered the binoculars and chambered a round in his rifle. All of them assumed a more stealthy approach, following behind him to minimize their chances of being spotted by their targets.

"The others should be close by. I say we break off about two-hundred yards behind them and head northeast. That should put us a bit above them, and we can set up," said Keith.

"Sounds good to me," James said.

Though they were cautious not to move too quickly, lest they alert the caribou, the hunters found themselves at the specified area in no time. The herd consisted of ten members, so each of them could take an animal. They went about the common drill, setting up their tripods and calling their shots. Vincent picked the one on the far right - a larger individual. Or at least, larger than the others in comparison, as all of these animals were bigger than the average members of their species. He estimated the distance to be about five hundred yards this time around, which wasn't exactly an ideal shot in his book, but one that he could probably make. At least the kill zone was of a good size, otherwise he'd have a lot more difficulty in taking down the creature.

"One… two… three!" Austin said, followed by a simultaneous stream of gunshots. Vincent watched as the animal jumped, leaping up and taking off. A red blotch could be seen around the area where the caribou had stood, so he had put a bullet somewhere through the animal.

"Fuck," Vincent said, slinging the rifle around his shoulder. "Just wounded the damn thing."

"It probably didn't go too far," Austin said. "And it ain't hard to keep up with a blood trail on snow, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Yeah. I better go get it."

"While you're at it, I'll go get the transport." Keith began heading down the hill, while the other hunters went about getting their animals. Vincent approached the spot where his caribou had been, seeing the tracks lead further up the hill. With how much blood was everywhere, it was unlikely that the animal would make it for long.

"Well Keith will be awhile. What do you say we go get that animal?"

"Sounds good to me," Vincent replied. "I doubt he went too far."

"Nah. And you put it in his chest, too. It just happens sometimes. One animal will drop dead the second you shoot it, but another will run off for Arceus knows how far. Just never know. That's one of the things that makes it a challenge."

"That and not freezing to death."

"Yeah, today's been colder than usual. I checked this morning, and it was thirty below."

"Fucking hell. You know, it's shit like this that really makes me miss Oreburgh," Vincent said.

They followed the tracks until they had reached level ground. At this height, the snow had picked up, and wind was blowing harshly from the top of the mountain. "Shit dude, if we don't find this thing soon, I say fuck it."

"I don't like leaving a wounded animal, but we won't be able to stand this for long," Austin stated. Though the two had nearly no exposed skin and wore several layers of warm clothing, the frigid temperatures seemed to cut straight through.

A steady, high-pitched howl sounded from the side of the mountain, catching his attention. Vincent traced the source of the sound to the creature. Almost perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings, there was no doubt as to what it was. "Austin! It's him!" The hunter quickly looked in the indicated direction, finding the source of Vincent's concern.

"Holy shit," he said. "You gonna take the shot?"

"Hell yeah. Cool with you?" he asked.

"Yeah. But if you miss, I'm up next time." Vincent quickly pulled his rifle around, putting the crosshairs well over the absol, who was a great distance away and uphill at that. The pokémon immediately leaped to the side before he could really steady his aim, and the gunshot rung out. "Dammit…"

"Welp, can't be helped I suppose. I doubt I'd have even made that shot, with how quick that thing was. At least seven hundred yards, too. And it's definitely learned, given how much we've shot at it." Vincent shook his head, annoyed that he'd let such an opportunity pass. So close, if he'd only been a split second faster on the trigger…

A loud rumble echoed throughout the environment, and both hunters looked around quickly for the source. It didn't take long to find the cascading snow from the northern peak. "Fuck!" Both of them turned around rapidly, breaking out into a full sprint as the white wave came rushing towards them. Vincent made the mistake of turning around, finding the avalanche to be only a hundred yards or so away from them. "We aren't gonna make it back!" he yelled between breaths. "Find some cover!" He saw a boulder to his left, and used every ounce of strength within him to run towards it, sliding as he neared it, but barely being able to crawl behind it as the snow blew through. He crouched as the trees around them snapped as though they were toothpicks, and the great white wave destroyed everything in its path.

He waited until the ground stopped shaking, and the movement of snow came to a halt. Vincent stood up, finding everything around him to be covered in white, including the site of the fallen caribou. "Austin!" he yelled, hoping desperately to find an answer. "Austin!" But none came. Hoping to find some form of life, he began walking downhill, his legs sinking at least two feet into the ground. He looked around, but the only thing he could see was the heavy, frigid sheet of white that had overtaken the mountainside. Even retracing his steps, he could see nothing aside from the swiftly falling snow.

As if things weren't dangerous enough to begin with, he knew that unless he set up camp soon and did his best to get warm, it wouldn't take long for his safety to be at risk. The temperature had decreased massively ever since the hunt had begun, and even his heavy jacket was beginning to become useless against the cold. He just hoped that everyone else was okay. Vincent trudged slowly uphill, hoping to avoid a similar disaster. It would be probably be some time before anyone would be able to reach him, but hopefully they would manage. He set his bag down quickly, taking out the flare gun from within - something he would never have imagined himself ever using, given his predicament. But right now, he didn't have much of a choice. Aiming it upwards, he pulled the trigger, watching as the flare climbed high into the sky.

Returning his focus to his current objective, he scoped out a good area to set up a camp. While everything here was fairly level, the snow was bombarding him, and he worried that maybe another avalanche might sweep through. And if pine trees that were several feet in diameter had succumbed to the force of the snow, then his tent just wasn't going to protect him.

It took him a few minutes, but using the binoculars, he was able to find a small opening in the side of the mountain that the absol had been spotted on. But the way it was facing, if another avalanche were to come, then no snow would be able to make it inside. _That looks like my best bet, then_ , he thought as he began heading in that direction.

The cave opening was only a few feet in width, but it spread out more on the inside. It also seemed to stretch back into the mountain more, but he wasn't about to go into those depths without reason. Vincent set the rifle aside as he began to set up camp, beginning with the portable heater. Now he was glad that they had a habit of carrying several provisions on them at any given time. Though he doubted that he'd blow through a week's worth of food in the time he had to spend holed up in here, the peace of mind was well worth the few extra pounds of carrying weight.

With the propanol cooker ready, he went outside and scooped up enough snow in the small pot to cook the MRE he had opened. As he poured the contents of the pack into the boiling water, he noticed a slight glimmer by his foot. Using his pokédex as a source of light, he looked at it closer, and there was no doubt that it was a drop of blood. If there was a silver lining to this, at least he'd get his caribou. Setting everything else to the side, he withdrew his pistol, keeping the pokédex in his other hand. The tunnel twisted and turned in each direction as he quietly followed the blood trail. Only a few drops spread here and there, but it was certain that he was getting close to the source - the walls of the cave were drawing closer. Though he was really beginning to wonder how such a massive animal had managed to come this far in, given how narrow it was becoming, as well as how much of a pain it would be to drag it out. Vincent stepped around a final turn, and what he found was anything but a wounded caribou.

"You…" he said bitterly. The absol silently stared at him as he pointed the pistol at its head. "Looks like you've found the end of the line now." His finger on the trigger, he stared the white creature down, seeing it laying on its side. The prominent wound in its lower leg the source of the bleeding, but right now, he was about to open up another hole.

"Go ahead. Put me out of my misery," she said. He looked at her, confused for multiple reasons. But the translator had been a function that he'd forgotten about, now brought very clearly to his attention.

"Yeah, well I'm going to. It's only fitting after you murdered all those people."

"I did no such thing!" she yelled, echoing throughout the cave system. "I haven't murdered anyone!"

"Then why the hell does that entire village want someone to drag your lifeless carcass back? What the fuck did you do?"

"I have done nothing but try to warn them of the disasters coming their way! But they keep attacking me for it!"

"But you're the one—."

"Are you kidding me?!" she asked angrily. "Look at me! Do I look like I could make something like _that_ happen?!" Truth be told, he had been wondering the same thing on multiple occasions, ever since he'd seen the picture of an absol to begin with. She clearly wasn't a legendary, that much was certain. But in excitement of everything, he had seemingly lost scope of his rationality, and had even gone so far to take a shot without reasoning. And despite what he'd said, had Austin been the one, then they probably wouldn't be having this conversation.

"What about Shaun?"

"How should I know who that is?" the absol asked.

"The guy that you attacked. You used an ice-type attack on him."

"Yeah, and he used a weapon on me! What, did they tell you that he just walked up and got attacked?! I tried to flee, but he started… doing whatever it is those things do! And it was loud, and I panicked, and I…" She looked away, tears welling up in her eyes. "Look, it's not my fault, okay! I didn't want him to get hurt like that! He could've had a family, or… but he fell! I just wanted him away!" Vincent sighed, lowering the gun. _Ah, hell…_ He stood there, uncertain of what to do as she started crying. "I… I tried to help! I did! But I c-can't take it anymore! They hate m-me! They want to kill me!"

"Shit," he said under his breath, "I've been an idiot…"

"Did he make it? Please tell me…" Despite her own injuries, here she was concerned about the wellbeing of someone that tried to take her life without a rational reason. The absol must have taken his silence as an answer, as she started bawling.

"Look, like you said… it's not your fault. Please calm down…" He couldn't believe that he had found himself saying those words, but now, everything was making sense. The village had been simply been wrong about the whole thing, and had let superstition take place over logic.

"You… believe me?" she sniffed.

"Yeah, I do. But why did you keep coming back? Why the hell try to help people that keep shooting at you?"

"I know they don't like me, but… if I showed up, they knew to expect something. And Arceus above, your people needed it. They don't seem to be paying attention at _all_ to the weather. Like a bunch of clueless children! But now, I suppose they think that _I_ was the one to make all those disasters come about."

"They do. And there's a price on your head. And to think that I almost cashed in on it, too…" He regretted it, but there was no undoing what had been done.

"That was you? You did this to me?!" she asked angrily.

"I didn't know, okay? I bought that bullshit - I literally just moved in. I'm sorry…" He got a little bit closer, looking at the wound. It had passed in and out, so at least he didn't need to remove a bullet from her leg. The wound had missed her femur, so that was a positive, and surely the artery, which would have made her bleed out long before she reached the cave. In fact, she was very lucky that the powerful round hadn't taken the entire leg. But it still wasn't a good sight, and it needed to be properly tended to. "I got some supplies in the front. Wait right here." She nodded. It wasn't like she could really go anywhere, after all.

Vincent returned with his bag, and began removing nearly all of its contents. Underneath the food and ammunition was what he was looking for: the medical pack. He unzipped it and retrieved the antiseptic to sterilize the wound without it stinging. Well, that wasn't fully true; surely touching the tender flesh would hurt. But it needed to be done. "What is that?"

"Something called chlorhexidine. It'll keep that wound from getting infected."

"Will it hurt?" the absol asked.

"Not on its own, no. But me putting it on you might. Just try to bear with me for a minute." He dropped some of the liquid onto the wound, having her flip over so he could access the other side of the leg. After finishing up, he wrapped it as gently as he could in a thick bandage. "There. Can you walk at all?"

"I got here, didn't I?" she retorted.

"Alright, I meant any significant distance. Think you could climb the mountain?" She shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Then I reckon you'll be staying around here for some time," Vincent said.

"I can't stay here," she replied, "there's nothing to eat."

"Well for now, you don't have much of a choice. A rescue squad will probably be coming up here soon. I shot a flare, and…"

"You led them to me?!" she barked.

"Look, I'll take care of everything. I'll get them away from here, and you… you just rest here, alright? I'll leave my stuff with you. Pretty sure they'll believe that it was lost in all that."

"You… would do all that? But why?"

"Because…" he said, not really sure what he was going for, other than it felt like the right thing to do in spite of things. "I did this to you, so I'm going to fix it the best I can." She looked away from him, then to his bag.

"…Thank you," she said quietly.

"Don't mention it. And I'm real sorry about your leg. I shouldn't have taken that shot…"

"I… forgive you." He broke the eye contact, instead kneeling down in front of the pack, showing her how to use all the items in there. Though it was unlikely that she would be able to make use of the propane cooker, the cans were simple enough for a creature of her anatomy to open without assistance, and the bagged items like the jerky weren't too difficult for her claws.

"And this here is a heater. See that little switch on the side?" She nodded, listening to every word. "Yeah, well all you gotta do is press it in and it'll start up. And it works good, too. I've been using it for years. It has about four days of battery life on it, so be mindful of that."

"I see…" She nudged the button, and immediately sighed in contentedness. "Oh…"

"I guess you're enjoying that. In the meantime, eat this. You'll need to keep your strength up." He set the pot from the cooker in front of her, the beef stew warm and ready to eat. "I'm going to head out now. No telling how close they are. I'll be back every few days to drop off new supplies, so you just stay put and stay out of sight."

"But… if they need to be warned…" Vincent shook his head.

"No. They forfeited their right to be warned when they decided that hunting down the messenger like an animal was okay. In the meantime, I'll try to calm them all down. Talk some reason into 'em."

"A-alright." He decided to do something sporadic, and placed his hand on her back. Giving her a quick rub, he stood up and headed out.

"I'll see you soon."

"Wait!" she called out, causing him to stop. "What's your name? You humans… you give each other names, right?" He paused for a second, deciding on whether or not to tell her. But he owed her, that was for sure, and it wasn't like she was in a position to tell the townspeople.

"…Nathan."

 **. . . . .**

He had left the cave just in time, as walking back down the site of the avalanche revealed Keith and some of the other townsfolk looking around. He made sure to avoid his line of sight, sneaking around him until he approached the hunter from a different direction so as to avoid giving away his trail, though the heavy snowfall would cover up any footprints within minutes.

"Vincent!" Keith called out once he'd made his presence known. Nathan looked over to the hunter, who was hurriedly making his way towards him. "You're alive! Now where the hell is Austin?!"

"I… I don't know. We were right beside each other when the avalanche came through, and…"

"Well don't just stand there! Help me find him!" The two of them rushed up towards where he and Austin had been when the avalanche hit, all while Nathan was trying to subtly keep an eye on the cave.

"He was right here when we got hit," Nathan said, pointing ahead of them.

"Shit, he could've gone anywhere…" Both of them looked around for any signs of the three others for several minutes, until some faint moaning caught their attention. Keith stumbled upon the source of the noise, and a gruesome sign. "No… Raymond!" The hunter had been impaled on a fallen pine, the branch protruding from his abdominal cavity. "You fucking stay with me!" He nodded, though the dark blood had stained the snow around him. Keith hurriedly began taking out his medical supplies, while Nathan stood there, ready to pitch in when possible.

"I s-saw," he gasped. "I-it was that th-thing. That creature…"

"That does it," Keith grunted. "We're gonna fix you up and get you back, then the village is gonna do something about this shit." He withdrew a small syringe from within his bag, labeled 'fentanyl' on the side, and stuck it within Raymond's arm. His pained moaning soon came to a halt, though his breathing was short and troubled. "I don't think I can pull you off yet. You'll bleed out before I can get you back." Though Keith was trying to keep calm, it was clear that he was starting to panic. "Get a fucking medic over here now!" he yelled to the nearby crew, who was hurriedly approaching their position.

"Can we cauterize it in time?" Nathan asked.

"I don't… I don't know!" Keith said. "Now where's that fucking medic?!" One of the villagers ran up to them, kneeling by Raymond.

"Oh shit," he muttered.

"Well don't just sit there! Do something!" Keith ordered.

"There's nothing I _can_ do," the man replied. "He'd bleed out even before we got home, even if we were to take the whole damn tree with us…"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"K-Keith," Raymond sputtered. "You gotta… make s-sure… it don't take n-no more people…"

"I… I will," Keith said, "I swear." Raymond nodded.

Nathan looked away, but Keith made a point to watch the whole thing. After Raymond had fallen silent, the two of them turned away, intent on finding Austin and James. And after hours of searching with the rescue crew, they eventually did manage to dig the other two bodies out of the snow.

 **. . . . .**

Nathan set out the supplies on the counter. More food, another battery, a few more medical items and several blankets. Johnathan definitely was curious about such a selection, but Nathan had simply explained that since he was going to be hunting a good bit on his own now, he would need some more supplies. And that wasn't a complete lie, either. With all but two of the hunters dead, he'd have to be going on his own some now. But now, there was more to it than that. Fortunately he knew his way around enough to get by.

After paying, he did his best to put it all in the new pack, though it was clearly more than a tight fit. Nathan had made sure to leave out the southern entrance to town in order to avoid Keith, who might want to tag along for the hunt. That wouldn't be such a good idea today, considering that the main reason for this trip was to meet up with the wounded absol once again. Though Nathan had only known the hunters for a month, he had liked Austin. Misled as he was about the absol's intentions, he seemed like a genuinely caring person. Had Nathan gotten the chance to sit down and talk with him about the issue at hand, surely Austin would've been the first to gain his senses about the whole thing. But he feared he would now never have that chance with Keith.

As he walked out the gate and began circumnavigating the town the long way, Nathan feared that Keith may be beyond reasoning with on this matter. He'd watched his childhood friend get pulled out of the snow, nearly frozen solid and broken all up. And as far as he and the rest of the village was concerned, it was all the doing of the absol. It had seemed as though Nathan had unknowingly put himself in the midst of a one-sided war, and it truly was a war. He was the only person in the village that didn't want to kill the poor creature, either for the money or for the sheer pleasure of taking its life at this point. Hell, if only they knew that he was going right to her. Nathan didn't even want to know how the others would respond upon finding out something like that. _So it's best that they don't._

But he did carry the hunting rifle with him in case he came across any animals. With his new resolve to tend to the absol, who now was unable to take care of herself, he would surely need the extra money. And now he had more than enough firepower to take out any animal that came his way. After they had discovered James' body, being that he had no family here either, Nathan was given his Ruger Blackhawk. The single-action .45 Colt was a far more ideal hunting companion than his 9mm, but he was now keeping both of them on him at all times. He was far too scared to do anything else.

 _There's no way the entire village is that unreasonable about all this…_ he thought. Surely they could have the sense talked into them, but right now, in the heat of their fury, it was best that he remained silent.

An hour and a half passed, and eventually he arrived at the scene of the avalanche. Oddly enough, if it weren't for the occasional snapped tree, it would have been impossible to tell that anything had happened. Of course that was far from the truth, though. Climbing the hill, Nathan made his way towards the same cave as before. Some footprints went in and out, and it was clear that she had been on her leg some. _Good, she needs to be walking on it some._

"Absol?" he called out. "It's me! I'm coming in." He was answered by a bark from inside, as he had his pokédex with him, and its range of translation was very limited. But he wasn't complaining, because at least nobody had found her. As he approached the wounded pokémon, he found her to be basking in the heat. "Look like you're enjoying yourself," he said as he put his pokédex in front of her.

"You came back."

"I said I would, didn't I?" She nodded slowly.

"Thank you." He began sifting through the newer supplies, seeing that she had really done a number on the food that he had left her, with only about two days left of the initial supplies when he'd left what he thought was about a week's worth. Then again, Nathan figured that he'd probably eat a lot if he were in her position, too. "How are they?" she asked.

"The people in the village?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Surely it's not good…"

"No," he said with a sigh, "it's not. I was the only hunter at the scene that survived the avalanche. One of the guys who died was Keith's best friend. You see, Keith was the leader of the hunters, though I'd personally say that Austin was the best of all of us. Well we found his body, and… I don't know what the hell is going on now, other than the fact that they're all furious…"

"Oh no…" she said quietly.

"I'm gonna try to see if I can calm everyone down, but I'm worried. I don't know what to do." Nathan had finished cleaning out the pot from its last use, and had gone outside to retrieve some fresh snow. As he began to cook the MRE, he couldn't help but look at the bandaged leg. "It'd probably be best if I go ahead and clean that again."

As he went to work, sterilizing the torn muscle and re-bandaging it, the absol didn't seem to flinch as much as before, so that was a positive sign. "I'll try to be gentle."

"Yeah, well hurry up," she said with a smile, "I'm ready to eat." It had been the first time he'd seen her smile, but it was a nice sight, given how everything had transpired. Nathan went as fast as he could in wrapping the leg up. "You done back there?"

"Yep. And I'm sure that's about ready for you. Of course, that's if you haven't already attacked the pot yet."

"Oh, so you think I lack self control, is that it?" the absol asked jokingly.

"I dunno, you tell me. You seem to be eyeing it pretty intensely."

"Well of course. You set it right in front of me."

"Ah, you know I'm just givin' you trouble," he said with a laugh. "Anyways, I think everything's gonna be fine with the leg. It's a nasty gash, but it could've been a whole lot worse. You're lucky it was a long ways away. Any closer it might've taken the leg."

"Alright, now that you've got me all scared, can I eat?" she asked.

"Go for it." Nathan let go of the newly-bandaged leg, and she slowly placed her muzzle within the pot's confines. "Shit, I didn't really think about that - it makes a mess, doesn't it?"

"Mhm," she said with her mouth full, before looking up and swallowing. "But it's worth it!" He crawled around her, taking out some cleaning wipes from his pack.

"Here, lay off of it for a second." She looked up at him, and a good portion of her face was covered in the stew. He started wiping it gingerly until she didn't have any of the food remnants on her anymore. "I think I got a spoon or somethin' in here. Gimme a second." She waited as he searched once again through his supplies, eventually only being able to come up with a foldable ladle. "Well damn, I didn't think to grab any while I was back at town. Guess this'll have to do."

"What is it for?" the absol asked.

"You use it to scoop stuff out. This one's meant for serving it into bowls, but—."

"What's a bowl?"

"Ugh, you know it's better to see this stuff instead of explaining it. But anyways, you can use this to eat without making such a mess," he stated.

"I don't have hands like you," she said.

"And I never said you'd have to. I'm gonna be doing the work here, so you just sit tight."

"Oh… I see." She laid down on her stomach, now having made herself comfortable on the blanket pile that he had set up.

"Yep. But this doesn't leave this cave, you hear?" he said.

"Eh, I don't know. I might feel like going down and letting the villagers know…" She rolled her eyes. "There's no one up here, Nathan. Who on Earth would I tell?"

"Good point." He brought the ladle close to her mouth, and she pressed her muzzle to it.

"Mmm," she said after swallowing, "you make really good food."

"Haha, the most work I did in that was opening the pack. It was made in a factory," Nathan said.

"A factory?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, a place where they make stuff. We'll cover the workings of the human world some other time. Right now, you just focus on eating."

After he had finished feeding her, Nathan sat with his back against the wall, thinking over the situation at hand. Clearly it would take at least a month for her to recover, given that he'd taken a significant portion of her leg muscle with him. The absol must have noticed him looking at the bandaged wound, as she spoke up.

"Do you think I will be okay?" she asked.

"Oh, you'll live. But that's a lot of muscle that just got shot out. If we were down in the city, they could make it all better. They've made some crazy medical advancements these past years. But up here… it'll heal, but I don't know if you'll ever have full function again…"

"Oh no…" she whimpered.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't—."

"I… know you didn't. But… that doesn't change this…"

"I don't know what I can do," Nathan stated, "other than trying to help you out like this…"

"Well why don't we go down to one of those cities then? You just said it yourself - they can fix me up!"

"I… I can't…"

"Well why not?! You owe me this, Nathan!" He put his head in his hands, knowing that she was right. But it wasn't that simple.

"It's complicated," he replied, "and a long story at that…"

"Well luckily we've got nothing but time." She glared at him expectantly.

"You know, this isn't exactly a topic that I'm comfortable talking about with someone I've met twice," he replied.

"Oh? And you think I'm comfortable, having to lay here all day at the mercy of the human who injured me? To hell with comfort at this point!" Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm not having it any other way, so go ahead. I'm listening." She stared at him, waiting for him to speak, and he could tell that she wasn't about to back down.

"Fine. But I swear to Arceus above, if you happen to tell _anyone_ about this…"

"You know I won't," the absol replied. "Now go on." He met her eyes unblinking eyes, and shook his head. But with a sigh, he told her what she wanted to hear.

"I grew up in Solaceon Town, then moved to Veilstone City. Up until about five years ago, that is. It's not the biggest city in the country, but it's pretty large. I was halfway through college when it happened."

"I don't know what that is, but okay," she said.

"It's like an advanced school. Somewhere you go to learn stuff. I was majoring in business. Not that I was particularly good at it, anyways, but I was okay." He was staring at the rock wall as he told the story, seeing her intently focusing on him in his peripheral. "Well, everything was going fine. I was a good enough student, had a couple of friends, and I wasn't the type to get in trouble. At least, not before that shit."

"Alright…"

"It was at a bar, of course - something that would only happen when people are drunk. Not gonna pretend that I wasn't a bit buzzed myself, but I knew what was going on. One of my friends was there with me - Nick was his name. He'd brought his girlfriend with him. They'd been together ever since high-school, so like six or seven years up to that point. A real good couple, what we like to call 'high-school sweethearts' back where I'm from. I'm sure they're probably married now." He wondered if he should tell her the next part, but it was probably too late for second guesses. "Some guy came up to the three of us. Started hitting on her."

"He just attacked her for no reason?" she asked in shock.

"No, not— well, yes, in a way. But not physically. He was flirting kinda aggressively. You know, like trying to attract her?"

"Ohh, like for mating purposes?"

"Yeah, that's about the only thing that was going on in that guy's head," Nathan said. "But he wouldn't just leave when we all told him to. He wouldn't let it go, and then he had to go and grab her like he did…"

"Oh no…"

"Well Nick jumped up and hit the guy, and they started fighting. He was so much bigger than Nick… well, bigger than me, too. But I just reacted, and I grabbed the beer bottle, and… I hit him over the head with it." He looked down, shaking his head. "It always breaks in the movies. I thought it'd just knock him out, but…"

"Nathan… did you kill him?" the absol asked. He looked up at her, but slowly nodded. "Oh my…"

"Yep. Cracked his skull, and must've done enough brain damage to do him in. The coroner said he was dead before he hit the ground. And being a city, they love to punish shit like that. I had to get a lawyer and go to court. Never mind the fact that he pulled out a knife and was about to drunkenly kill my friend - they were still gonna try to punish me for it."

"What happened?"

"I was gonna lose my court case, that's what. Only reason I'm here now is because Nick paid off some thugs to shoot the windows out of the police station when I was heading out, and in the confusion I was able to run out before the cops had gotten their fat asses off of the ground. Took my car, snatched someone else's license plate on the way, then ended up selling it to a chop-shop a couple years ago. My friend gave me his pistol, and thank Arceus I haven't had to use it much, other than to scare off a couple nastier pokémon. I've been running around, changing my name and appearance to avoid police. I don't wanna get in a fight with them - they're all just doing their jobs - but I'm not going to prison just because the fucking judge was pissed at me for killing his friend's son on accident, and 'cause he was gonna rule against me no matter what. So I've had to run around the entire damn country for almost five years now, all while trying to lie low. There's this thing called a statute of limitations, you see. And mine's about up in just a month. Once that time passes, they can't do a single thing to me. But until then, I have to stay hidden…"

"I think I understand," she said. "I don't… think that you would do it on purpose. You don't seem the type…"

"No, I'm not. I wanted to knock him out, not kill him. Guarantee you that wasn't part of my plan."

"I believe you," the absol stated. She forced herself onto her feet, then limped over towards him. Nathan tried to figure out what she was doing, and his answer came when she sat beside him, nuzzling into his shoulder. _What the…_ "I think you're a good person, Nathan."

"I dunno about that. Most people ain't good or bad. They just… are what they are, I guess. Somewhere in between. I think that's about where I am."

"If you were a bad person, you would have killed me and taken the reward," the absol said.

"And if I were a good person, you'd be without that bandage," he replied. "But thank you. I'll do my best to do right by you, I just… I'm not sure how to right now…" He looked towards the entrance of the cave, his hunting rifle beside him, intended for the hunt that he would go on once he had left. "You can't really cover any serious distance. That much is a given. And even if you could, right now it'd be a bad idea to be moving around. There's twenty thousand on your head."

"Is that a lot?" she asked.

"For these people, yeah. Hell, that's a lot back where I come from. I seem to be the only person in that entire town that doesn't want you dead."

"Arceus… what did I ever do to these people?" she asked quietly. "Nathan… I'm scared…"

"Yeah, so am I. Keith would probably shoot me if he knew that I was here with ya. The whole lot of 'em are superstitious - they think you caused all this crap. I mean they even had me believin' it, too, and I took that shot without giving it a second thought…" He regretted pulling that trigger on a whim, seeing the results of it now. Just a few days ago, he wouldn't have believed himself to be sitting right next to the one the village hated so much, and even less so to have her head resting on his lap. But yet here he was. "Ha, y'know, it's actually probably a good thing that I pulled the trigger, come to think of it…" She looked up at him in confusion.

"Wh-what?"

"If I hadn't, Austin - the guy with me - would have. And he wouldn't have missed his mark. It'd have been in either your head or your chest. Nothing else. But I just so happen to suck at aiming, so there's that…"

"Oh…"

"Yep. 'Course, he ended up dying in that avalanche. He was one of the more social people in that town, so… they're upset, to say the least. I just wish that they could come to their senses is all…" He had found himself absentmindedly petting her, running his hand down her back with no idea when he'd initiated the contact. But she seemed to be content, and so he decided to continue. "I need to figure something out," he said. "A way to get you some proper treatment, that is. I dunno how we can pull it off…" She seemed to be thinking the matter over to herself as well. Nathan didn't like the idea of her having to wait, all while her leg was in the condition that it was. But he couldn't find a solution that would work for the both of them.

"Wait, don't humans have those magical balls? The ones that could hide me?" He nodded - he hadn't thought of that.

"They ain't magic… well, to someone as dumb as me, they may as well be magic. But yeah, what you're talking about is called a pokéball. Trainers use them as a way to transport pokémon."

"What's a pokémon?"

"That's what you are. How would I say… you know, creatures that aren't humans, but are really smart? Some of ya kinda look like the animals, but you ain't… if that makes any sense. You know, most of you have powers and stuff?"

"Ohh… is that what you call us? What a funny name…" she said.

"I didn't come up with it. But anyways, yeah, we could technically use a pokéball to get you out of here without being noticed. I could hide the thing in a pocket, since they can get really small. But I gotta tell ya, if you get in one, then you're kinda with the person who owns the ball.."

"So you would own me to then?" she asked.

"Well I wouldn't put it that way. You just kinda break the ball if the two of ya wanna part. So we could use one of 'em to get you down there, get you into a pokécenter, and once you're all fixed up, figure out where to take you from there. But I can promise you I ain't dropping you off back up here. They won't stop coming for you until you're dead…"

"Why do they have to be this way? I've done nothing but try to help them time and time again…" she said.

"Some people don't need a reason to hate. Just not that smart, I guess," he replied. "Now aren't there some other absols throughout these mountains?"

"Yes, there are. I'm the only one around these parts, but there are a few here and there. My parents are on the other side of the Holy Mountain. Arceus, if only they knew what I'd gotten myself into… My father, see, he warned me that something like this would happen. I should have listened…" the absol said.

"And your mother?" She laughed.

"She was almost the opposite. Told me to use my abilities to help others, no matter what. I guess she didn't think that humans would treat me like this…"

"Well it ain't all humans. Most of 'em down there will treat you fine. Believe it or not, seems like everything humans do involves pokémon in some way. Our country, at least, loves just about everything pokémon-related. Y'all are a part of our civilization as we know it. But up here… this is a pretty rough area. Seems like it's just survival of the fittest."

"It is," she replied. "But it sounds like down there, things are a lot easier."

"Yeah, no kidding. Honestly, the only reason I'm up here is because it's one of the last places they'd expect. It's hard as hell to find a map that even has this place labeled. You could do well down there, that's for sure. Just about any trainer would like an absol on their team. And if you get yourself a decent one, then that's guaranteed food and shelter, too."

"Then I must be living in the wrong place," she said with a laugh.

"Maybe."

"So do we have a plan now?" she asked.

"Somewhat. I still need to get my hands on a pokéball if we're gonna do that. I don't think the village sells 'em, since no one there really does a whole lot with pokémon. But I'll see if I can figure something out soon. You know I'll be back, so I'll let you know when I come up with more of a plan."

"Alright."

Before he left, Nathan replaced the used battery in the heater, and set out the provisions in a manner that allowed her the easiest access. "I'll probably be back in a few days. Just make sure to stay inside during the day. Last thing you need right about now is for them to figure out where you're hiding. I wouldn't be able to get up here fast enough before… well, you know…"

"I will be careful. Please do the same. You are the only friend I have, so… just come back, alright?"

"Ah, well the competition ain't too fierce out here, but thanks."

"Oh, and Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"What is this stuff?" she asked, motioning to an opened pouch beside her makeshift bed.

"That's beef jerky. Like it?" he asked.

"It's amazing. If you happen to come across any more…"

"I gotcha. You take care now."

 **. . . . .**

"Alright Vincent, why in the hell would you need a pokéball? Not that I even have 'em here, but still…" Johnathan looked at him skeptically, but Nathan had already come up with something beforehand.

"Well I was just thinking the other day. We're gonna need all the help we can get finding this absol, right? I mean it's proven that it's pretty dangerous." The shopkeeper nodded. "Well it's only really used ice-type attacks, and luckily there are a couple different species of ice-types around. I've seen some on my hunts. If I could catch one, then we'd definitely have an advantage against it."

"I see where you're going with this. That's some good thinking. Now like I said, I don't have any on me at the moment, but what I can do is have one ordered and put on the next delivery truck. How easy are they to find?" Johnathan asked.

"Pokéballs? You can get them just about anywhere. I've seen 'em in gas stations. That shouldn't be a hard one to come across. Now is there any way I can order other stuff too?"

"Sure. It'll just come on a weekly basis. They drive the truck at the base of the mountain, and some of the townsfolk help me get it in their trucks." Nathan nodded, then pulled out his wallet.

"Alright. Here's the rest of the rent money, and for this stuff." The amount of supplies he was going through, having to feed two people now, was drastically more than he had initially thought. It had gotten to the point that he was having to go hunting just about every other day. But he wouldn't have to do it for long.

The door opened, and both of them were greeted with the sight of Keith stumbling into the store. He was clutching something in his hand, and upon looking at it, Nathan recognized it as a bandolier. The smell of alcohol was very prominent on him. "You doing okay?" Nathan asked.

"Sure. Never better. Only had to bury my best friend, that's all," he said. "You're all that's left, Vincent. Just you and me, buddy. But don't you worry, I'm puttin' together a new group."

"You are?"

"Yep. You remember those people towards the back when we held the funerals?"

"Yeah, three of them were brothers, right?" Nathan asked, receiving a nod of confirmation.

"Uh-huh. They're just a few of the people here who are pissed the _fuck_ off with this motherfucker. At this point, I'd track him down to hell itself. I don't even need the money, but I sure as hell want the satisfaction."

"That might be the kind of attitude it takes to resolve this," Johnathan said. "Y'all have got my support, you know that."

"I know. But I need to know, Vincent, if I have yours. Can I count on you? Because I'm gonna need your help if we're gonna put an end to this." He hated everything about where all of this was going, but right now, the last thing that he needed was for Keith of all people to be questioning of his actions.

"You know it Keith." The two clasped hands together, and Keith handed Nathan the bandolier. "Been giving these out to the new gang. We're gonna need 'em for what's about to come."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," he said, tapping the revolver at his side, "we're gonna have a hunt unlike anything this village has ever seen before. And I'm going to have that monster mounted over my fucking fireplace for what it did to all those people… and for what it did to Austin…" Nathan nodded, trying to hide his concern. "Soon, Vincent, we're finishing this."

Having done what he had arrived there to do, Keith left the store, probably to either invoke more similar feelings within the town's inhabitants, or to hit the local bar once again. Nathan looked blankly at the counter, and the storeowner must have realized his troubled look. "He concerning you too?" Johnathan asked.

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno, he just seems to have no other reason for living right now. I get that there ain't much to do around these parts, but… all he ever seems to talk about is killing that creature…"

"I know," Nathan replied.

"Now don't get me wrong, I want it gone too…"

"I understand." He wondered whether or not he should try to get through to Johnathan. He was a good man, Nathan felt, but just like everyone else in this town, he had been caught up in the superstition. He decided to take up the gamble.

"You know, John… I'm pretty sure this absol ain't the cause of y'alls problems…"

"What makes you think that?" Johnathan asked.

"Well shit, just _look_ at the thing. It's smaller than us. How the hell do you think _that_ could cause all these blizzards? I get it - pokémon have powers and all - but you know just as well as I do that there are limits." The shopkeeper nodded slightly, likely knowing that he had a point. It was hard to overlook the peculiarity of the claims when one simply thought it over for a minute.

"Sure, but what about the fact that it _only_ shows up when some sort of catastrophic shit is about to go on?"

"I've been reading up on 'em a bit. That's just one of their abilities. They show up before shit gets bad to warn others, human or pokémon. If they do it, it seems like it's out of goodwill."

"That's gotta be bullshit," Johnathan stated. "There ain't no way some creature like that would keep on showing up out of 'goodwill' when they keep gettin' shot at."

"Maybe. That would make it one hell of a good person though, wouldn't it?" Nathan asked.

"Almost too good, if you ask me."

"So what if Keith and all the others are wrong about this thing? If it's not causing these disasters, and we go and hunt it down… well, it wouldn't be like killing a caribou or a bighorn. This is a creature that thinks and feels just like we do. What if we're wrong?" Johnathan tried to come up with an answer, but Nathan could tell that he had invoked a new position towards the issue within the shopkeeper.

"I don't… well.. shit…" He looked down at the register, then shook his head. "I guess… we'd have gone and murdered someone…"

"Like I said, I'm willing to help bring it in at least. But I think we should know for sure before we fuck up and murder another person, and I say that as someone who tried to kill it without thinking."

"I didn't think of it that way, but it's makin' sense. Truth is, no one _here_ has seen it. We've gotten some nasty shit in terms of weather, but nothing like them hunters been gettin'."

"Now don't you think that it would've come to Moorvik if it was able to make these disasters and had some sort of a grudge against us? Why the hell sit around and wait for a few hunters when it could level the whole village if it were that powerful and evil?"

"Dammit, this could be bad…" Johnathan said.

"Yeah, for real."

"And real bad for you, too. If Keith figures out that you're trying to get that absol outta here…" Nathan stiffened up, and he was immediately going over whatever courses of action came to mind. Nothing effective did.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to maintain his composure.

"I may not be a particularly intelligent fellow, but I wasn't born yesterday. It all makes sense now - all the supplies, the pokéball. You've been seeing it, haven't ya? And you're trying to get it outta here before it gets hunted down…" Nathan sighed.

"Can I trust you to keep silent about the matter? 'Cause if not, I need to get the fuck outta here this minute."

"I ain't gonna throw you under the bus, Vincent," Johnathan said. "But I need to know what the hell I'm helping you do, because Keith and those others got half a mind to kill anything in his path right about now, and that'd include the both of us if they found out somethin' like this…" Nathan felt like he could trust him at least partially, but he wasn't telling anyone where she was.

"Well I did shoot at her. I fucking hit, too. Nailed her right in the leg. I somehow survived the avalanche, and I walked around for some time. It was pretty far East from the place where the other three died," he lied. "But I found her alright. I was about to finish the job, and had I not been using my pokédex as a light, then I'd have done it, too. But then I got to talking with her… and it started making sense. She can't control the weather any more than you or I can. But she's getting blamed for it."

"Arceus, Vincent, this is a fuckin' mess…"

"She's pinned down, all 'cause I shot her fucking leg. If Keith finds her, she's gonna die."

"Knowing him right about now, he'd probably find some sorta fun in it. Make it happen real slow-like…"

"I know, John. I'm scared for her. She's the sweetest thing, and she's about to get killed for something she didn't do. I gotta help her. Hell, I _did_ this to her," Nathan replied.

"I see. And that's where all those supplies have been goin'. Johnathan looked out the frost-coated window towards the village. The people were going about their business, but it was clear that there was a new hostility amongst them. Good people believing in bad causes. "Shit, Vincent…"

"I want you to stay outta this. I can get her out on my own, and Keith should have what he wants. She won't ever be around these parts again."

"You know just as well that ain't what Keith wants…" Nathan shook his head.

"Yeah… I know…"

 **. . . . .**

The entire way up the mountain, Nathan's heart was pounding harder than ever before. Keith had led the new crew back to the scene of the avalanche, and far closer to the absol than he was comfortable with. But they didn't know exactly where she had been seen, or which direction she had gone off towards. He intended to capitalize on that fact, too.

"Alright, boys," Keith said, "when the avalanche hit, the absol was around here. Vincent here saw it, along with Austin and Raymond." He turned towards Nathan, expecting to hear his account of what had happened.

"That's right," Nathan said, "I saw him. Took a shot, too, but I missed. He was standing right up there," he said, pointing the the incline beside the spot where the caribou had been shot. It led out West, so that should point them away enough from her location, which was about a mile and a half uphill due North.

"Alright, and which way did he go once you took the shot?" one of the new hunters asked.

"Went downhill from there, almost towards Larson's." He looked out in that direction, then shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't hit it…"

"It's okay…" Keith said. "We all fuck up from time to time. But I know you - you did what you could to put an end to this, and you'll keep seeing this shit through." Little did he know that he was right about that statement in a roundabout way.

"Yep. Now what's the plan?" he asked.

"The plan," he announced, his voice louder to reach everyone within the crowd, "is to spread out and look for any signs of this creature. We're gonna divide up into squads and take different routes. If we're lucky, we might find a track. We'll meet up at Larson's Peak, and if we don't find it, then we'll call it a day and try again tomorrow."

As he had said, Keith grouped the people into smaller crews, and each planned out a different path, spread out by a few miles. Had the absol actually gone in this direction, then such a course of action would probably lead to her discovery. Fortunately though, Nathan had made sure that this entire endeavor was nothing more than a giant waste of time. But it was unlikely that he would be able to pull this off indefinitely. This crew was determined enough that they would venture through the entire Coronet Mountain Range to find her.

Keith and him were together, of course, along with three others that Nathan did not know the names of. There were only a couple present among the entire crowd that he could say otherwise, due to him truly doing his best to lie low.

"What're you thinking?" Keith asked Nathan.

"About this whole hunt?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think we're gonna find it. It's been avoiding y'all for some time now, and it's gotta be playing shit smart at this point. It really doesn't have much of a choice," Nathan replied.

"Oh no, that ain't the case at all. You see, I know these mountains like the back of my hand, and there are only so many places to hide," Keith said. "This motherfucker… he's in my territory. And when the time comes that we find him, he's gonna know. The rules have changed, Vincent. I wanted to kill it before, but now I'm gonna make it suffer. He lost the right to a quick death when he killed my best friend of twenty-three fucking years."

"I see…"

"I don't like it - I don't like it one damn bit. But I ain't about to let him get away with that. He went and killed my friend… and now he's gonna pay the consequences."

"So you and Austin went back awhile…" Nathan said.

"Ever since we were kids. We'd always been there for each other. Austin would always calm me down when I'd go off, and I'd return the favor by helpin' him in class. He didn't ever have book-smarts, but man could that guy hunt. And he knew people well, too. And once my dad passed, he was the only one I had left to turn to." Keith gritted his teeth. "And now… that fucking animal went and killed him for no reason other than its own sick sense of satisfaction. Well I'm about to show him sick. Vincent, when the time comes, I'm gonna need to borrow your pokédex. I know they've got them translators on 'em. I want to hear it beg me to stop as I slowly cut every one of its fucking limbs off." _Arceus help us…_

 **. . . . .**

His mind swarming with every route of escape, Nathan almost didn't want to approach the cave. Not because of the absol, but because he dreaded the fact that he would have to tell her what was going on. His breathing was heavy, and his body exhausted. He'd about worked himself to the very bone to pay for all the necessary supplies. Today alone, he'd covered nearly fifteen miles on foot, having taken the caribou's body back to the town, before stocking up one final time for the absol.

"Hey," he said quietly as he walked into the cave. She looked startled upon seeing him, which had initially confused Nathan, until he looked down and realized that he still had some of the caribou's blood on him. "Don't worry, that's not mine," he said.

"I… don't know if that makes it better or worse…"

"It's not from a person. It was a caribou. You know, the large animals here with the antlers?"

"Ohh… okay then."

"It's not my choice of profession, I can promise you that. But it's what has to happen for now." He dropped the bag onto the ground, and sat down beside her with a heavy sigh. "Or at least, for another three days…"

"What happens in three days?" she asked.

"We get the hell outta here, that's what. Staying here is getting too risky. I'm having to go on the hunts with Keith, and it's only a matter of time before they come here. And he… he's not all there any more. He wants to do some pretty bad things to you… and I can't let that happen. I've ordered a pokéball from the shop, and as soon as it gets here, I'm coming to get you. I'll slip out of the village while they're out looking for you, and we won't ever hear from 'em again. Then we head South and to a small town called Emeragrove. They're about twice the size of Moorvik, and they're actually on the map. That means they'll have a pokémon center. And the good thing is it's actually a slightly closer walk from here than Hearthome."

"Nathan," she said, "these people you are running from… will they be there?"

"They might. I don't know for sure. If they've got a pokémon center, then they probably have a police station."

"But… I do not want you to get caught…" she said quietly.

"I've done good lying lying low. And if I'm able to sneak you away from Moorvik without the two of us getting killed, then I should be able to avoid the three or four cops in the area for a week and a half. Odds are they wouldn't even recognize me if I walked right up to 'em. 'Course, I don't have any valid ID or license. But still, you need to get some real treatment, not just a couple of bandages."

"What is the plan after that?" she asked. "I get my treatment, and you your freedom. But then what?"

"I guess… I try going back to college. Or get a job. Hell if I know at this point. I never thought I'd get this far, to be quite honest," he laughed. "It's just been me trying to make it to tomorrow for five years now."

"Well then how about we stick together?" The proposition came as a surprise to Nathan, or at least, it was surprising to hear her say it. Truth was that he had been thinking about the same thing, but didn't really know how to ask it. Yet here she was, practically crippled and more bold than he.

"You wanna tag along with me? Why's that?" he asked. Not that he was in any way opposed to the idea, but he wanted to know why she had wanted to.

"Because… you've been really nice to me. You've made sure that I was taken care of… and I can't thank you enough for it. I would love to live with someone like you." For one of the first times since he had arrived, Nathan smiled.

"Ah, I knew you were a soft one," he said, running his hand along her back. "I think that'd be a great idea."

"Perfect!" she said in a cheery tone.

"But," he said, "if you wanna live in human society, then you have to take a name."

"Oh? Really? Umm… got any ideas?"

"Huh, thought you'd have wanted to pick your own name. But let me think…" He didn't know a whole bunch off the top of his head, but Nathan ran the ideas that did come to mind past her. A few she was neutral towards, but the absol didn't seem super excited about any of the ones he could come up with. "Maybe we should pick this up some other time," he said.

"Nope, not gonna happen. It is of utmost importance that I have a name before you leave this cave," she said jokingly.

"Ugh, I'm running outta ideas, but okay. How about… Ericka?"

"Ew, no," she said.

"Well guess that settles that. Maybe… Abigail?" She cocked her head, but eventually declined it.

"Better, but I'm not feeling it."

"Dammit, we've been going at this for like twenty minutes," Nathan said.

"Well if it's a name that I'll be going by the rest of my life, shouldn't I want the perfect one?" she asked.

"Good point," he admitted.

"So gimme some more ideas."

"Huh, let's see…" He had pretty much gone through all the common female names that he could think of. Granted, that wasn't a whole ton, but he was going to have to get a bit more creative. "Hey, what do you think about Kaya?"

"Ooh, that one sounds good. What does it mean?"

"…I dunno. Only reason I could think of it is because a guy in my business calc class had a flareon that was named that. Said that she was real sweet, so I kinda thought it might work here."

"Well I think it's a wonderful name. Let's use that one."

"Alright then, Kaya." She smiled in response to her new name. "I think you'll like it down there. See, I come from a pretty small town out in the country. I was sorta expecting people around here to be like them. You know, when there's only so many people in an area, you generally got a nicer group…"

"I would think so…" Kaya said.

"But not here. No, these guys are a nasty bunch. Nothing like what I was used to back home. I might just move back there instead, if you wanna live there. It's real quiet, and everyone's friendly."

"That sounds great, Nathan," she said, looking up at him with a grin. "I'm looking forward to it already."

"Come here," he said, pulling her frame against him. She nuzzled into his neck, doing her best to return the embrace. "I ain't gonna let them get to you. I promise."

"I know you won't."

 **. . . . .**

Every minute was a constant worry, and sleep came very scarcely. Nathan couldn't stop thinking about Kaya when she was out of his sight. What they would do if they found her… it made him sick to his stomach. No doubt she was terrified too.

But finally, the morning came. Johnathan arrived back at town with several trucks driving behind him, each full with the supplies to replenish his stock. One of the three trucks had about a dozen firearms in it. Nathan had seen it himself, too; people coming in to the store. They were all preparing for the encounter, behaving more than irrationally. People that didn't already own guns felt the need to buy them in preparation for a single creature, and one that wasn't really powerful at all, and even less so a threat. They had declared war on an absol that had done nothing wrong, and the village was stirred up in a frenzy the likes of which had never been seen for Moorvik.

Nathan helped Johnathan unload the trucks, carrying the merchandise into the store. One person was inside, waiting to buy something, so he'd need to get the pokéball once she had left. They set the items on the counter, to which they would further distribute them across the store. But the task at hand had done nothing to take his thoughts away from the absol. Those people were out there looking for her as he stood within these walls. He went as quickly as he could, dreading every minute that she was spending alone.

"That's everything, looks like," Johnathan said. He quickly rang the lady up for the two items she was buying, both being books. "Alright ma'am, sorry to say, but we're gonna need to close up shop for a few minutes," Johnathan said.

"Oh? Is something the matter, John?" she asked as she headed for the door. "I've never seen you close in the middle of the day like this…"

"Yeah, well, given the fact that I've got this many guns just sittin' there, I don't want customers walking in and seeing things in such a state."

"I understand. You two have a good day now."

"You too, Mrs. Beverly." She was on her way, and a few seconds after the door had shut behind her, Johnathan had locked it. "Hell, I dunno how you're gonna be able to get to her without being seen. I was talkin' with one of the boys riding with me down there, and he said that they've got a bunch of people out there now, scoping them mountains out."

"They shouldn't be near her, not yet at least. I sent them by Larson's Peak," Nathan replied. "But they didn't find nothing there, aside from some more caribou. They're headed east now. Think they're gonna take a different path from the site of the avalanche." _Shit, this is bad…_

"Dammit, I need to get to her now…" He sifted through the things that had been brought in, seeing the few items that he had ordered. All but one. "Wait, did you get the pokéball?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah I did, right here," John said, unzipping his coat. From an interior pocket, he pulled out the small, red and white sphere, tossing it to Nathan. "Felt like I was doing a drug deal with the driver, with how secretive the whole damn thing was…"

"Well I appreciate it." He ripped open the plastic packaging for some of the other items of his concern: two new magazines for his pistol, and he went about loading them with the pack of ballpoint ammunition - one of the last things he had been able to afford, but very well might need. Hopefully not. But he'd done all he could within the time available, and it was doubtful that he would be able to squeeze in an extra hunt between now and the time he left. The last Ᵽ40 he had on him would need to be used to purchase as much food as he could carry on his person, as he would have about a week's worth of walking, not to mention the time they'd be in Emeragrove. But going hungry a few days was far more preferable than being gunned down near some frozen village.

"I'm scared, John," Nathan said quietly. "I ain't never been so scared in my life. These people… they've become animals… no offense."

"None taken. They… they really have. But they're scared of something they shouldn't be, and they're not using their heads. Once that absol is gone, and they don't ever see one again, things should calm back down. For most of 'em, anyways. Keith, I ain't so sure…"

"If they knew what I was doing, they'd kill me, and then her…"

"Yeah, without a doubt. Don't let them find out," Johnathan said.

"And if they do?"

"Then… may Arceus protect you, 'cause I don't know what else will…" Nathan looked over at his .308, the old rifle still looking in pristine condition. Johnathan must've known, too. "You can't…"

"I might have to."

"Shit, Vincent, you ain't gonna be able to fight them all…"

"No," he said with a sigh, "I won't. At least, not with a bolt action. You happen to have anything better up close? Longer range than a pistol, but not such a pain in the ass to reload?"

"Oh hell… a repeater might be your best bet… But you can't take on all them people. If they come for you…"

"Listen, I've become pretty damn good at hiding. I doubt I'd have to take any of 'em, to be perfectly honest. But I need to prepare for the possibility. Now you got any repeaters in .45 Colt?" he asked. The store owner looked at him, but eventually nodded with a sigh. "I don't got much on me now, but Austin told me that that rifle there is worth well over a thousand. Could I trade that?

"Works for me. That Zeiss scope on it is worth the repeater alone." He went behind the counter, opening up the gun rack. He looked over a few of the lever-actions, eventually tapping on of them. "Here we are." He took the carbine out and handed it to Nathan. "That there's a Marlin - a model 1894."

"How many shots?" he asked.

"Ten, I believe. That work?"

"It's gonna have to," Nathan said. "I load it through here, right?" he asked, pointing at the side. "Almost looks like how you'd load a shotgun…"

"Something along the lines of that. But yeah, that should be a lot faster of a reload than putting rifle cartridges in the one mag you got." Nathan worked the lever, the carbine functioning smoothly. He dry-fired it, before nodding. "I've seen James use his. Hopefully that'll be enough. Do I need to fill out any paperwork?"

"Not that I'm aware of, since it's been a bit used. Private sale in this case."

"Alright." He was glad that was the case, being that it was something he should have made sure of beforehand. He didn't have the ID, nor the legal ability, to fill out that form. At least, not for another few weeks… "I'll need to fool around with it some. But I'm glad it can use the same ammo as my revolver."

"Yep. Good call on your part. Got some Buffalo Bore right here, if you'd like." Nathan looked at him questioningly.

"What's that?"

"Some of the strongest rounds made. Recoil's a real bitch, though, if you're gonna shoot 'em in your Blackhawk. I'd stick with using 'em in the the Marlin if I were you. Here's a couple boxes." Johnathan gave him the two dark blue boxes, each holding twenty rounds. Nathan nodded in appreciation before opening them, loading the bullets into his bandolier. All but ten, which went straight into the weapon.

"Shit, this thing's a lot lighter than that rifle."

"Let's just hope you don't have to use it," Johnathan said.

"Amen to that." A knock at the door sounded, and John quickly set the guns behind the counter, before heading towards the customer. "Alright, guess I'll head out. I'll try to stop by on my way back," Nathan said.

"Do that. In the meantime, go save that gal before she gets into trouble." He opened the door, greeting the customer as though nothing were amiss. Nathan walked past the two of them, the carbine in hand.

 **. . . . .**

He got back to the leveled mountainside as quickly as he could, making it there in about four hours, despite all the jagged crossings and turns, and the fact that a good portion of the journey was uphill. He had passed more than a few of the hunting crew on the way up, doing his best to avoid the gazes of any of them that he passed. But that became an impossibility once he'd reached the site of the avalanche. Two men were there, having set up camp, and were making coffee over the fire. They greeted him as he approached, one of them offering him a cup, which he readily took.

"Any luck?" he asked after taking a sip.

"Not yet. I swear, this motherfucker just up and disappears like that, after showing its face for so long? He must know he's in deep shit now."

"Probably. He's killed so many, and now he just so happened to kill the wrong person."

"He did that the first time around," the second man said. "First person he got was my brother."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nathan said.

"Don't be. That absol's the one who's about to feel sorry. Truth be told, I almost feel sorry for _it_ , with what all Keith's got in mind. He's taken to it hard, you know."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, "I've noticed."

"Borrowed a whole bunch of power tools just for that creature. That's a bit further than I'd have gone, but I ain't gonna be shedding no tears for him," the first hunter said.

"Arceus almighty…" He looked around. "I might as well head in a direction that no one else has. Anyone else headed uphill yet?"

"Not that I know of. Keith and some others went out East, so you should be good. Need someone to tag along with you?" he asked.  
"Nah, I shouldn't be too long. I think I'm gonna hook around and join Keith and the others."

"Alright then, suit yourself." After setting the empty cup down by the fire, Nathan left them to themselves, scaling the hillside towards the cave. With each step, he was praying that he would be greeted to the sight of the absol within. After reaching the top of the hill, he quickly turned around to make sure that nobody was following him. The two men were still sitting by their fire, facing the other direction, so that cleared him from that possibility, at least. He turned around and hurriedly started heading towards the cave, which was distant, but in sight once clearing the valley where their first hunt over here had taken place.

He walked into the cave quietly, careful not to make any more noise than he needed to in the off-chance that anyone else was nearby. "Kaya," he whispered once he was decently in, "it's me…" He heard a quiet bark, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Arceus, I was terrified that I wouldn't reach you in time," he said as he rounded the final turn into her layer. He quickly set down his bag, along with the carbine, he pulled out his pokédex.

"Nathan," she whimpered, "they're all over the place…"

"I know, girl, I know. That's why I was scared. But we're gonna make this quick, and I'm gonna get you the hell outta here." He pulled the pokéball out of his pocket, knowing how it worked just by seeing it done so many times. Pressing the button, it enlarged to the size of a baseball, and he looked at her questioningly. "You uhh… ready for this?"

"Of course. Now let's get out of here before any of those men show up…" Nathan nodded, then touched hit the central button once again. Immediately, she disappeared within the confines of the ball. He quickly cleaned up the mess that had been left behind, removing all the trash that he could from the food and putting it into his older bag, before rushing out of the cave. Thankfully nobody was around, giving him the time needed to hide the pack full of the garbage. He quickly ran towards the North, and within about ten minutes, he found a steep decline that led to a thick pine forest. _Well shit, this would've been a good place to hunt…_ he thought. But it was far too late for that now. He looked at the bag - one he'd gotten right towards the start of this fugitive journey that he'd gone on. Hauling back, he hurled it as far as he could, watching as it disappeared into the woods. _That takes care of that._

 **. . . . .**

He had arrived at the store late in the evening, using the spare key to unlock the door. It was around 10:00 PM, and he had only run in to a few of the hunters on his way back. Given the darkness and Moorvik's relatively small size, it was impossible not to notice the bright light emanating from the center of town. "You got back kinda late. I was starting to get worried."

"Nah, wasn't anything to it. There weren't too many out and about. But those that were got a hell of a lot closer than I was okay with. I got her in here," he said, motioning to his pocket. "I'm sure she's about ready to come out, too."

"Upstairs. Wouldn't look very good for either of us if someone happened to see her through a window," Johnathan said.

"Yeah. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to come this close and fuck it up." They walked up the stairs after making sure the door was securely locked behind them. With his pokédex already in hand, Nathan took Kaya's ball out of his pocket and pressed the button, releasing the absol into the hallway. She looked around, confused, and then became terrified upon seeing Johnathan. "It's okay," Nathan said, "he's helping us. He doesn't mean you any harm."

"Ah hell, they're being a bunch of animals. Losing their damn minds over her…" he said, shaking his head. "I can tell right now you ain't no trouble."

"Yeah, well, I wish you could tell Keith that," Nathan said.

"Nathan… what are we doing here?" she asked.

"Nathan?" Johnathan asked.

"Ugh, shit, didn't think about that. It's a long story, John, but that's my real name. And to answer your question, Kaya, I heard from one of the hunters that they're planning a massive raid tomorrow. Over thirty people are scoping out the mountains looking for you. But they aren't covering the South, so that's where we'll need to head. What I'm gonna do is act like I'm tagging along. Keith trusts me, after all, being the only one left from the original group. But once most them guys head out through the northern gate, I say we slip out back and go from there. I'm thinking that hill directly South. The one with all them jagged rocks."

"Oh, that's Widowmaker's Crest," Johnathan said. "Sounds like it'll work. But it'd be best to do it during daylight. You don't wanna be traveling through these mountains at night."

"I know. Been there, done that," Nathan said. "Now Kaya, one thing you're gonna have to get used to if you're gonna live with humans is taking a bath."

"Are you suggesting that I smell?" she asked, faking an offended tone. "That's rude."

"No, not at all. It's just a lot better for you. So you're getting one tonight, then I'm gonna wash up, 'cause I've covered nearly a marathon's worth of distance today and I'm tired as hell."

"It might be worth checking out whatever's going on out there," Johnathan said. "See how all them will be moving tomorrow morning, and what time. Couldn't hurt to find out."

"You're right. On second thought, hold off on that. You two wait here, and I'll go see what it is that they're up to outside. John, if _anything_ goes on - if you even _think_ that something might be going on - you return her to her ball and hide it. You can't let anyone here find her."

"Don't you worry, she'll be fine." Nathan nodded at the two of them, then turned around. He contemplated grabbing the carbine and taking it with him, but he doubted that anyone else would be taking a long gun to such a meeting. Besides, the last thing he needed to do was arouse suspicion. He walked out of the store, deciding to leave the Marlin and locking the door behind him.

The bright, orange light increased, revealing a massive bonfire towards the corner of the town square. It seemed as though half the town were present, with members of the hunting crew being in the center, many of whom were taking shots.

"Look who we got here," Keith said, more than a bit buzzed. "Man of the hour, he is!" He slapped Nathan on the shoulder, who was more than a bit uncomfortable in the such an environment. "I was just talkin' about ya," he slurred. "We was saying how you and me… we're gonna find it. And I'ma let you have some one-on-one time, if you want it."

"No, I think killing it's just enough," Nathan said.

"Nah, it ain't. Not anymore. But I guess that just leaves me then, right?"

"I reckon so."

"Ah, well suit yourself. But me? I've planned this shit out for some time now." He walked over to the bench, which was serving as a makeshift bar, and grabbed the bottle of bourbon, pouring himself and Nathan a glass, which he hesitantly accepted. Keith lightly tapped the two glasses together, and they downed the drinks.

"Shit," Nathan said, "that's some strong stuff…"

"Yeah, I know. I been practically living off of it lately. Ever since my best friend died." Nathan looked down, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry about Austin. Didn't know what to say at his funeral, but… I liked him. He was a good guy."

"He sure was," Keith said. "Been there with me through all them years, and to be taken out like that." He set the empty glass down, then took a seat at the end of the bench. "See, that ain't fair. Not one bit."

"Life often never is," said Nathan. "But I hate it had to be like that." Keith looked up at him, then shook his head dismissively.

"No," he said, "it didn't. That fucking freak couldn't have just minded his own damn business. He couldn't have just _left_. He knew we didn't want him around - he _had_ to. We been shootin' at him for months and months. But he had it out for us, and now… it's the end of the line. Tomorrow we'll set out. We're going to cover every square inch of land north of here, and we got supplies to last for weeks if need be. But when we get him, I need him alive. I got something in mind."

"Heard about that. The power tools…"

"Yeah. Drill for the joints, and a skill saw for each one of its limbs. Bolt-cutters for anything I can fit in 'em. Got a blowtorch to cauterize, and a shit ton of scalpels. All that comes after I break each and every fucking bone in its body. I even got a mirror set up on the ceiling, all so he can watch. And the last thing it's gonna see is me ripping out its fucking heart, and then he'll know _partially_ what it felt like."

"Arceus…" Keith could easily tell that he was horrified.

"I know." He looked at the raging fire, all the people cutting up and laughing around it. What he wouldn't likely give to be among them right now, but Keith hadn't been so fortunate. "It's weird, too. I'm excited for it. Scared, but excited. I don't know what the fuck this thing has turned me into. Just a few weeks ago, I'd be terrified of myself right now. Hell, in a few weeks, I'll probably look back and feel that way. But for now, I won't be."

"Shit man…"

"He was my brother," Keith said, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "And that absol fucking murdered him…" Nathan stayed silent, eventually deciding to put a hand on Keith's shoulder, at least in an attempt to feign concern, though in reality, the only emotion going through his head was fear. "But none of that matters now. It's just me and him. And before long, it'll just be me…"

 **. . . . .**

Nathan walked into the store for the last time, making sure that he was not being watched. Everything looked to be in order, and he could hear the two of them on the second floor. _Thank Arceus nothing happened while I was out…_ He walked up the stairs, seeing the two of them in the guest room. "How'd it go, Nathan?" asked Johnathan.

"About as expected. Keith's lost his mind, that's for sure."

"I figured that much. What did he say?"

"Nothing worth repeating."

"Oh," John replied. "That bad?"

"And worse. But we won't have to worry about that tomorrow. Just as expected, they're all heading out North. I'll be going in the exact opposite direction, so we shouldn't have any problems." Johnathan nodded.

"I… I told him," Kaya said. "I know I said I wouldn't, but…"

"No, I get it. We're in the same boat. Only fair that he knows who the hell was living with him this whole time."

"I get it son. It's more of a damn mess than I'd ever thought of, but I can't fault ya for running. I'd have probably done the same thing."

"Well there ain't nothing that can be done about it anymore. In a few weeks, I'll be an innocent man, so there's that."

"If it's any consolation, I repacked your bag. Fit as much food as I could in there. You're gonna need it," John said.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that. Everything else, too. You've been great to me this whole time," Nathan said.

"Least I could do for someone in your predicament," the shopkeeper said. "But I'm gonna go ahead and call it a night. I'll be up real early to see you two off on your way out."

"That'd be great. Not like we'll ever be coming back here," he said with a coarse laugh.

"I'm sorry it's like this. These folk… they aren't usually all this riled up. Majority of them are decent people…" He walked past Nathan and into the hallway. "Anyways, I'm turning in. You two sleep well."

"Goodnight," Nathan said.

Once he had shut himself in his room for the night, Nathan took Faya into the bathroom. "Alright, let's get you cleaned up. In the tub." She looked at it curiously, but allowed him to lift her. He carefully removed the bandage, seeing that the sound was doing its best to heal. "Promise ya, you aren't gonna want to get that wet. If you could, lie on your back. I'll keep the water low."

"O-okay…" She rolled over, lifting her leg to the edge of the tub, all while he began drawing the warm water. "Ohhhh."

"Feels good, doesn't it?" He took a wash cloth and lathered it with soap, scrubbing her body with it. Kaya sighed in relief as she basked in his treatment, causing Nathan to laugh. "Yeah, you're definitely enjoying yourself, I'd say."

"Arceus," she said, "this alone is enough to never wanna go back into the wild again."

"Yeah, well you're with me now, so that ain't an option," he teased.

"Gladly so," Kaya replied.

 **. . . . .**

After he had showered, Nathan joined Kaya in the bedroom, setting the pokédex on the nightstand beside them. It seemed as though the absol had found no trouble in making use of the bed, as she was sprawled out on top of it. "You like that?" he asked.

"Oh yes. So much better than that cave…" He joined her on the bed, sliding underneath the covers. "Ohhh… I didn't know you could burrow under it."

"That's what they're made for." She maneuvered around to where she was under the sheets with him, facing the human she was about to adventure with. Though her horn was kind of nudging the comforter upwards in an awkward manner.

"This is nice, Nathan."

"Once you ignore the people outside wantin' to kill us, I suppose so."

"No… don't bring them up. We'll be fine," Kaya said.

"I hope so. I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared, Kaya. Not for me, but… I mean, if they find out what I'm doing, I'll probably be dead. But I'm scared for you. The things he said he wanted to do to you… I've gotta get you the hell away from here."

"Thank you, Nathan," she said quietly. "You know… ever since we met… as weird as it was that first time… you've been nothing but caring towards me."

"Aww, well you're worth caring for," he said, stroking her on the cheek. "Now let's get some rest. We've got a long ways to go tomorrow."

"I know… but I wanted to talk some before…" Nathan nodded.

"Alright then. What's on your mind?"

"Well… you are, Nathan. You… mean a lot to me…" He remained silent, hearing her out as she continued. "I had a lot of time to think while I was in that cave, and… you always came and took care of me."

"Of course…"

"But why?" Kaya asked. "Why did you do it. Or why are you still doing it?"

"I didn't know that I needed a reason," he stated. "But I guess if I had to come up with one… it'd be that it was the right thing to do."

"I know it wasn't easy," she replied. "And I know that it's not a debt that I can repay, but… I want to try." Her voice had gotten softer, and though Nathan lacked experience in this stuff, it wasn't difficult for him to figure out where this was heading.

"Kaya… are you saying what I think you're saying?" A small smile, and she nodded.

"Yes, Nathan. I… I feel for you. I know that it might be weird, but I do…" The absol shuffled closer, stopping when the two of them were only a few inches apart.

"Well I guess that's one way to confess," he replied.

"You are everything that I would seek in a mate," she continued. "One that I could spend my whole life loving. Will you try this with me?"

"Hell… I don't know. I don't even know if I'm into pokémon like that, and you up and ask me something like that outta the blue? How could I answer that so quickly?" But despite his words, he did nothing to stop her from placing her paw on his side. He could feel her breath on his neck, and if he were to shut this down at all, now would be the time.

"Let's just try… and you tell me what you think…" she said quietly. It was then that she gave him a slow, sensual lick on the cheek, causing countless thoughts to go through his head in the course of a few seconds. Did he like that? Did he want to do this with her? But most importantly, did he feel the same way? His question was cut off by another slow lick. She pulled back, staring at him endearingly. He had to, given what they'd been through these past weeks.

"You… you really wanna go through with this…"

"Only if you do," Kaya said.

"You gotta understand… humans don't just move this fast into stuff like this. Well… not any decent folk, generally…"

"I see," she said. "But most humans also wouldn't think about mating with a pokémon, either, and I can tell that you sure are."

"Well of course I'm thinking about it - you're goin' and put those thoughts in my head," Nathan said.

"Mhm," she replied. "But I did want to mention the idea. I want you, Nathan. I've come to love you." He remained silent for a moment, thinking over how to best put his next words. He felt for her as well, but he was still unsure about something of that intimacy, especially so soon.

"… I think I love you too, Kaya. I'm just not sure about… you know… But I knew there was something about you back when I first met you. You're quite a gal, and I wish everyone out there was as good a person as you."

"Aww, that's sweet," she said. "Now… let's get back to it." Kaya resumed her sensual licks, lightly dragging her tongue across his cheek. _Shit that's hot…_ Nathan gently grabbed her back, pulling him into her. Who said they had to do it so soon? Maybe they could just continue like this.

"Here, let me try something."

"Oooh, getting adventurous?"

"Something like that. C'mere." He pressed his lips to her mouth, taking her by surprise. He could tell she didn't really know what the gesture was, but eventually caught on and opened her mouth. The two of them remained locked together like that for what seemed like minutes, with each of them invading the other's mouth, taking the breath out from their partner.

"Oh I liked that," she said, gasping once they parted for breath.

"Me too," he replied. "I wasn't sure if I would, but… you're pretty hot…"

"What? What does that mean?" she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"That you're attractive."

"Mhm, and I think you are too. Especially that hair," she said.

"Then you might just be disappointed. That ain't my natural hair color. Mine's blonde, actually. I just been dying it lately to change my looks. You know… to help avoid the cops."

"Hmm… well I'm sure you normally look good, too!"

"Alright then, whatever you say," he laughed.

"Anyways, where were we? You were about to take off the clothes, right?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Hey, I never decided on that…" he replied. "You know, I ain't so sure about this…"

"Well then maybe we can entice you a bit." She ran her good leg along his thigh. "Hmm, It looks like you might not need enticing at all…"

"Kaya…"

"Feel free to stop me at any time," she said. He did not.

 **. . . . .**

The best sleep that he had ever had came to an end, seemingly as fast as it had fallen upon him. The creeping sunlight was the culprit, streaming through the blinds and onto the pair of intertwined lovers. But as much as he wanted to stay there with the absol, who was snuggled up into his frame, they needed to get up. It was still early in the morning, and he knew that Johnathan got up around now in order to start making preparations for the day. And the last thing he wanted was to be caught in such a state, nude with a pokémon. Nathan quickly slid out from her grasp, causing her to mumble disapprovingly in her sleep. "Sorry love, but we gotta get up." He grabbed his underwear from the tossed clothes, and went about getting dressed.

"Ugh…" she groaned. "But… I'm so comfortable…"

"I know. But neither one of us are gonna be comfortable if we get caught here."

"You're right…" She mustered all of her strength in her drowsiness, sitting up on the bed. Her hair had matted where she had been pressed up against him, and Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Alright. Once we say our goodbyes, I'll go ahead and put you in the ball. It ain't gonna be the norm for us, but I'd rather not have you out much while we're in these mountains."

"Me too," Kaya replied. "Oh, and Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for last night. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you as my mate."

"Aww, I love you too. Now you keep talking like that, and we ain't gonna make it outta here without doing it again, and we both know we can't have that."

"Mmm, we could make it quick," she said, her eyes half-lidded.

"I'm sure we could," he said, rubbing her side. "But right now, I'm more interested in getting the two of us outta here alive. Once we do that, then we can screw like our lives depended on it." She hopped off of the bed, stretching out with a light yawn. He had finished up getting dressed, putting on the heavy coat, then the bandolier over it. He'd definitely look the part of one of the hunters, covered in this much ammunition. Already, he could hear the commotion outside, and a quick glance through the blinds revealed several trucks running, each with people and supplies ready to head into the mountains. The entire village it seemed was getting in on this insane manhunt, and they weren't going to be satisfied until their bloodlust had been fulfilled. It was best for everyone if Nathan and Kaya just left this area, never to return. A knock sounded on his door.

"You up?" Johnathan asked.

"Yeah. Come in." The door opened, and Johnathan stood there, dressed to start the day. The store would open in a few minutes, and like that, any guarantees. But it wasn't like they could stay here forever. Eventually, someone would find out.

"See that you slept well," he said.

"Yeah, somehow it was the best sleep of my life. You know, despite the situation and all…"

"Huh, I'd have barely caught a wink if I were in your shoes. But I guess you deal with this a hell of a lot better than I could."

"Well I ain't in the clear quite yet. Soon though…" It was going to be nice to be able to walk into town without having to look over every corner. He would be free, and now, with a girl at his side. "Listen man, I can't thank you enough for everything."

"Ah, no need for that. You know I got internet here. It's shit, but it works. Email me how the two of you are doing every so often. Though I think it'd be best for everyone involved if you didn't come visit…"

"Yep. Sucks, but that's just the way it is. I just hope that the town manages to calm the hell down. This was all just a bunch of nonsense." Johnathon nodded.

"Don't you worry about that. They'll cool it over time."

"Well I know they will," Nathan replied. "This is Moorvik we're talking about, ain't it?"

"Oh, very funny. Now I think it's best the two of you get along. Things seem to have calmed down out there. Most of the hunters already headed uphill."

"True." Just as expected, the majority of those engaged in the search had already taken off North, and those that hadn't were on their way at the moment.

"Thank you John," Kaya said. "I do hope you take care."

"You too, gal. I'm sorry these people went and gave ya all that trouble. You just keep him from doing anything too dumb."

"Hah," Nathan laughed, "doubt that'll happen, but okay." He extended his hand, and the shopkeeper shook it eagerly. "Thank you for helping us out."

"Anytime. You just remember what I said. Look forward to hearing from y'all." With a nod, Nathan returned Kaya to the pokéball, sticking it in his pocket. Grabbing the lever-action, he hesitantly opened the door. Moorvik felt far different today. The hostility was evident, and he could feel the excitement among the village. He had travelled all over Sinnoh in these past five years, but never would he miss a place any less than this town.

Taking a deep breath, Nathan began heading towards the southern gate. The path down from the mountain range would be a tedious one, and even with Johnathan's help in throwing in all that extra food, he and Kaya would need to ration it appropriately. But he had confidence in his ability to survive, and it wasn't like he couldn't hunt. All they would need to do was lie low for just two weeks. Then he could find some part time work, or even get in touch with his family again. Maybe even take out a loan to finish getting his degree, or just settle down from the very beginning. There were a lot of options available, and when there was time, he and Kaya would need to think things through.

Nobody was there to see him off. It was for the best that it was like that, too. But it was still somehow a surreal experience, getting ready to take this next step on their journey together in complete silence. Mount Coronet could be seen far off in the distance, and for but a second, he stopped to take in the beautiful sight. If only he'd brought a camera on him… But unfortunately, he had done away with his cellphone. It was just another method that the police could have used in order to track him.

Nathan turned around, leaving the town's premises altogether. The snow had started to pick up within the last few minutes, and a slow yet steady flurry was tumbling down. Since going the way he had come wasn't an option, he would do his best to navigate from here. There was a slight incline that he would need to scale on the other side of Widowmaker's Crest, which was now about a half mile in front of him, but that was definitely his best option. Though the hilltop was covered in jagged boulders and looked just as about inviting as Moorvik itself, it was quicker and would lead to an immediate path down the mountain, and a steep one at that. Granted, he would need to be careful on the descent, but he was sure that he could do it. Even though the western route would be far flatter and easier to transverse, it would take more time, not to mention that it was a relatively flat path. People that were still leaving to the North would easily be able to spot him, and that was the last thing he needed.

Starting up the incline, he made sure that nobody was following him from behind. But his concern was in vain, as the village was completely calm in the absence of those who were riling everything up. His last look at the town having been taken, Nathan continued on his path up the hill, and it didn't take him long to reach a few of the jagged boulders. As he did, a click sounded to his right, and his heart stopped. "Whatcha doing up here, Vince?" Keith asked, having revealed himself from behind the rock. Wearing his cowboy hat, he had his .44 Magnum cocked back, and Nathan was staring right down the barrel.

"Keith? What the hell are you doing?!" Nathan asked.

"I could ask the same about you, you know," he replied. Several other men stepped out from their hiding places, each with their weapons pointing at Nathan. _Arceus… help us both…_ "Did you think I wouldn't notice? That you were slick enough to be pulling that shit?"

"Keith… come on man. What are you talking about?"

"I mean disappearing on your own all the damn time. That was reason enough for questioning you. But we found it yesterday, that's for sure. Turns out, that thing never made it far from where you shot it. Oh, and you _did_ hit it - but I'm sure you already knew that. Found some blood by a cave, right by where it killed my friend. A few droppings not too far from the site, not to mention a guy saw you toss your fucking bag into the woods. A bunch of trash, like you were trying to hide something." Keith shook his head. "And you were. I could tell, but I didn't wanna think it. You were lying."

"You've lost your mind, Keith," Nathan said.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe any sense of logic that I had got buried back behind the church. But you have lost your sense of decency. You betrayed us to keep that creature safe. Now where is it?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't."

"Then why the hell are you trying to bail out on us in such a rush? You got something to hide, that's for sure." He turned to one of the men to his right. "Search him." The hunter, a little larger than Nathan and with a black, full beard, started making his way towards him. "And as for the rest of you, he so much as breathes the wrong way… you just fucking fill him with lead." The repeater was snatched from his hands, and the revolver was tossed onto the ground. The bag was taken off of his shoulders, and he began rummaging through it.  
"Got a tent, a heater, and a shit ton of food. But that's about it," the hunter replied.

"Search _him_ too, dammit." He hadn't found the pistol yet, which was tucked into his coat. If he could just get a second to jump behind one of these rocks, then maybe he might just have a chance. That or hurl Kaya's ball as far as he could into the woods and just pray that she would be able to get away on her own. The hunter stuck his hand into Nathan's pocket, and his worst fear had come to life. "Ahh, there we are. I fuckin' knew it." Nathan stared silently as the ball was tossed to Keith, who looked at it with nothing short of hatred. But a smile grew on his face, and he pressed the button in the center. Kaya was released into the middle of all of them, and she barked in surprise, backing up to Nathan's side. "Oh, I didn't know we were dealing with a lady here," he said. "And here I was plannin' on cutting your balls off with a scalpel. But I'm sure I'll be able to think of something more… suitable for your anatomy."

"Leave her alone, dammit!" Nathan said. "Keith, you've lost your fucking mind. Just _look_ at her! You _know_ she couldn't have caused those disasters!"

"I know what I saw! She killed Shaun right in front of me!"

"He fell! And that was after he shot at her!" Nathan yelled. "You haven't used your fucking head this entire time I've been here! She wouldn't hurt the same damn people who were trying to _kill_ her! She was _worried_ about you guys and still wanted to warn you of the shit coming your way, but you just started shooting, dammit! You're fucked in the head!"

"Ah, that's a nice little tale she's wrought up for you. But I ain't buying it - not one bit," Keith said.

"Boss… she don't look like some monster," one of the hunters at his side said.

"Shut the fuck up, Cameron. I know what I've seen from her."

"She isn't," Nathan said. "She was concerned for you all. If she had some sick fucking plan and was actually able to cause avalanches, then why the hell wouldn't she have just hit the village? You fuckers built it downhill from a mountain."

"He's uhh… got a point there," Cameron said.

"I said shut up! Or I'll fuck you up after _him,_ " Keith yelled, flashing the gun at Nathan. The leader of the hunters had looked over at Cameron, and everyone else was glancing at the exchange. Nathan saw this as the only chance to do something. He quickly snatched the revolver from the hunter's holster next to him and dashed behind him, putting him in a headlock with the gun pointed at his head.

"You let us outta here right fucking now!" he yelled at Keith. "Or I'll blow his head off and kill you all myself!" Everyone had their guns pointed at the two of them, and he could hear the frantic breathing of the hunter that he was more than willing to kill to protect Kaya.

"No you won't," Keith said calmly.

"Try me, you sick fuck! Now we can all just walk away, and no one would get hurt! You wouldn't ever have to see her again!"

"Ah, we both know that ain't gonna cut it," Keith said. "You hear that, you little bitch? You know what I'm gonna do to you?" Kaya whimpered in terror, causing Keith to smile. Instantly Nathan aimed the revolver at Keith, pulling the trigger. The sharp noise rung out, and Keith clutched his shoulder as he went to the ground. _Fuck!_ he thought, having missed his intended target. He jumped to the side as the hunter fell over, disoriented from the shot going off beside his ear, and several bullets were fired where he just was. He saw Kaya stumble over towards a different boulder, trembling in fear as the fight began."Kill him! But leave her for me!"

Nathan quickly pulled the P226 from within his coat - his only real chance of surviving this encounter. He swiftly peaked from behind cover, seeing one of the hunters run behind a rock ahead of him. Knowing that he had a repeater similar to his own, Nathan didn't give him the time to get to his bearings, sprinting towards the other rock and reaching around the side, grabbing the barrel of the carbine. Without even thinking about it, Nathan had put the pistol to the man's head and pulled the trigger. A bullet sprung from within his chest before he could even fall over, nearly hitting Nathan. Keith had shot from his position on the ground - through the body of his fellow hunter - before stumbling onto his feet and into cover.

Nathan fired several shots in response to the barrage coming towards him, not knowing what else to do now that he was this far. But he couldn't stay still, that was certain - they would inevitably surround him. He had no choice but to keep moving.

"I told you we couldn't trust him!" Keith yelled.

"Fuck you, Keith! You're insane!" He could see the pokéball on the ground where Keith had been shot, who had left it there in the chaos.

"Once I kill that fucker, I'm coming for you, you stupid bitch!" Nathan checked behind him to make sure the hunter who had searched him was not coming up behind him. Thankfully, he had been shot in the confusion, and was dead right where the fight had started.

"Listen to me! All of you!" Nathan yelled. "I've got nothing against any of you, but I swear to Arceus above that I ain't got any problem killing you, either! Just run away!"

"We aren't going anywhere, boy!" One of the older hunters yelled.

"Then I'll send you to hell myself!" He yelled, before running from behind his current rock and towards another, ducking the two shots as they came. He glanced quickly at the repeater in his hands. _Fuck, it's a .44…_ He would have to make use of the few shots that he had with it. Easing the barrel from behind the boulder he aimed towards a rock ahead of him, knowing that one one of the seven remaining hunters was hiding behind. He held steady, waiting patiently for a head to peak out. His heart was beating furiously, and he was doing everything he could to keep his mind off of the sheer terror of the situation. His chance came, and he pulled the trigger. The hunter immediately ducked back behind cover, with the bullet ricocheting off of the stone surface and into the sky. He pulled the lever back, loading another round into the chamber.

Another hunter was trying to flank Nathan, and he immediately stood up and aimed at him, shooting before ducking back down to avoid getting hit. His bullet had met its target's midsection, and the man collapsed on the ground, hollering as blood began to spill from the massive wound in him. Nathan tried his best to focus on the task at hand, but he couldn't fully drown out the sound of the man dying in the snow. He knew that most of the remaining enemies were ahead of him, taking cover behind the dozen or so jagged boulders. Setting the repeater down, he took the pistol in his right hand and emptied the clip as he ran forth, placing a shot in the direction of each potential hiding spot that he could think of. As they remained hidden, he ran out and stooped down, picking up the pokéball before running back the way he came. Now all he had to do was get a direct path between the two of them and he could return her to safety. But he didn't know where she was, and that was perhaps his greatest concern amongst everything that was going on.

As he reloaded the next magazine into his pistol, a fiery pain lanced throughout his side. The bullet had gone clean across his lower rib and out, and he clutched the large gash, trying to ignore the wound the best that he could. It wasn't nearly fatal, but if he dwelled on it in the slightest, then the next shot very well may be. "He's wounded, boys!" Keith yelled out. "Five thousand outta my pocket to the man who finishes him!"

"You're gonna need that money to pay for all these fucking graves!" Nathan yelled. "Three of you sons of bitches have died already!" He ran back towards where Kaya had been when he last had seen her, thankfully without being shot at. The crew must have retreated more uphill. He swiftly picked up his two dropped weapons, tossing the other repeater aside in favor of his own. But Kaya was nowhere to be found, likely having moved somewhere else to avoid the hunter that Nathan had shot. _Shit… shit… where is she?_ Her footprints led up towards where he was suspecting some of the hunters were; she had unknowingly fled towards her very pursuers. His suspicions were confirmed by one of his hunters.

"I got her!" one of them yelled out.

"Keep her steady!" Keith yelled from over the hill. Nathan ran up to the source of the voice, and he could see a struggle ensuing at the top of the hill. Kaya was barking out in protest as one of the men was on top of her, pinning her down. He struck the wounded leg, causing her to whimper out in pain, and Nathan became even more furious than before.

"You get off her!" He yelled, rapidly firing the 9mm into the enemy's chest. He fell on top of the absol, bleeding out of the several holes that had appeared through his coat. Nathan rushed to her side and rolled the man off of her. "Are you okay girl?" She nodded, but the tears were clear in her eyes, and he could see the blood drenching her bandage. The absol looked at the growing red stain in his own side. "Don't you go worrying about me. I'll be fine. But you're going back in." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the ball, pressing it up to her. She immediately disappeared within, and he took cover behind the nearby boulder. In his rage, he had expended the majority of his magazine, leaving one full one left. After that, he'd be forced to use the revolver and the repeater. And at the rate he was going, that was probably going to happen.

"Thompson!" Keith called out. "You okay?!"

"Is that the guy who grabbed Kaya?" Nathan asked aloud. "Because if he is, then I fucked him up pretty good!"

"Don't you dare let him get away!" Keith ordered the other four hunters. Nathan had been forced to remain still, as the rock he was hiding behind was narrow, and two hunters had him pinned down. He quickly looked around the side, pulling back just in time to not be hit by the bullet that flew by his head. One was approaching from his right, and he could only assume that the other was mirroring the action on his left. He moved as swiftly as he could, aiming the pistol around the right and shooting at the approaching enemy. One of the shots landed in his stomach, causing him to stumble back, but just before he could finish him, the slide had locked back. Empty. He drew the .45 Colt and pulled the hammer back just as the hunter raised his rifle. The only thing that saved Nathan was the fact that he had aimed just a little bit faster, and his neck snapped back, the bullet having gone right through his throat.

Nathan pulled the hammer back again and shot at the other hunter near him, missing completely and being forced to take cover back behind the boulder as the loud blast sounded. Though the hunter was exposed, he had a double-barrel shotgun, and Nathan knew that any hit he took from such a weapon would undoubtedly kill him. He loaded the last magazine into his pistol, racking the slide back. That was his best chance of surviving this encounter. The hunter only had one shot left, too. Nathan ran from behind the rock, then leapt to the side as the blast sounded, narrowly avoiding the blast. He hit the ground and wasted no time in firing several shots into the man's chest, causing him to drop the shotgun and stumble back. He hurriedly got back onto his feet and ran past him, leaving him to die there as he finally made his way the top of the hill.

He took out the carbine, inserting any extra cartridges he could as he looked around frantically. A sound to his right, and he jumped back immediately, only barely avoiding being shot by Keith. He swiftly slammed the butt of the carbine into his face, causing him to fall back, rolling down the hill. Had it not been for the hunter rapidly firing his two revolvers, Nathan would've finished him then and there. He took cover as quickly as he could, somehow avoiding being hit by any of the multiple shots. Whether it was the distance or the high recoil of the firearms mattered not, but there was no doubt that he had been lucky. _Crazy motherfucker…_ He aimed the repeater towards the incoming hunter, working the lever as quickly as he could, firing shot after shot towards the man. One of the shots landed in his stomach, and the enemy backed up slightly in response, the exit wound the size of his fist. Nathan cocked the lever and took careful aim before the man could raise his weapons again, putting the next shot directly in his heart.

As he went about reloading the repeater, his right leg went numb. "Shit!" he yelled, running the best he could out of the line of fire. The last remaining hunter had found him, and the large-caliber bullet had carved away the top part of his quad muscle. Nathan fell violently, swiftly pulling out his pistol as he grabbed his leg. He could still move it, but the pain seared with each motion he made. Grunting, he started crawling to cover as fast as he could, hearing the lever of his enemy's carbine get cocked back once again in preparation for the finishing shot. He made it just in time before the hunter had the ability to take him out, though, and he sat against the boulder, breathing heavily as he clutched his pistol.

"I got you now, boy," the enemy called out.

"Like hell!"

"You ain't going nowhere now!"

"You seriously yelling that shit?!" Nathan called out. "I've gone and killed all your friends, dumbass!" He did his best to put weight on the leg, crouching the best he could as he gripped the weapon. Nathan could hear the man approaching him and shuffled around the rock, attempting to maintain a line of cover between the two of them as the distance between them was closed. He waited until the man stood still, knowing about where he was, then shot out to the side, spraying several shots towards the hunter, who dove to cover behind the same boulder Nathan was hiding behind. Knowing that it would take him a second to recover his footing. He staggered to the other side of the rock, kicking the repeater just as the hunter had managed to raise it in his direction. A shot went off, firing off into the sky as Nathan pointed his pistol at him.

The enemy sprung up and tackled him, pinning the P226 to the side. Nathan fired it several times unintentionally as he tried to get the man off of him, eventually head butting him harshly in the nose. A fist struck his face, and he immediately raised his left arm to block any more painful strikes coming his way. Instead, the hunter's hand found its way onto his throat, and Nathan began to panic, struggling with all his might to escape the chokehold. "See here? I've got you now, you motherfucker!" Nathan tried hitting the man's arm, but it did no use against the stronger opponent, so he resorted to the only thing he could think of. Thrusting his arm forth, Nathan forced his thumb into the eye of the enemy, shoving it inward as the man screamed out in agony. His hand immediately retreated, yanking Nathan's own out of where his right eye had once been, but it had given the break needed. Nathan struck him in the face, then kicked him back with his good leg. It was then just a matter of aiming the pistol, and like that, the last enemy had been killed.

His breathing still rapid and desperate, he crawled back to the rock and sat against it. His 9mm was nearly spent, and his energy along with it. But staying here was not an option; surely people from the village had heard, and perhaps even the other hunters out there. Soon, he could be flooded with more people than he could possibly fend off. "Almost… there…" he grunted, using the jagged boulder to pull himself back onto his feet. He winced as he stood on the leg, but that would have to be ignored for now.

He looked around, seeing the multiple dead bodies littered about. _Shit… I fucking did this…_ But he shook his head, dismissing the very thought. _No… they did…_ "We're gettin' outta here, Kaya," Nathan said weakly. "You hear that? We're—." A sharp pain had connected with his head, and he immediately fell to the ground.

"Oh… I wouldn't be so sure about that," Keith said. "What? Did you think I'd be done in that easy?" Keith reached down and took the three weapons from Nathan's body, then tossed them each as far as he could, all while he was powerless to stop him. He could feel the blood trickling down the back of his head, and everything had merged together into a large blur. "You don't know a damn thing, you little shit! You thought you were gonna stop me from takin' what's mine? Well, you sure as fuck got another thing coming!" He fished through Nathan's coat pocket and pulled out the pokéball once again.

"Leave… her alone," Nathan groaned.

"Shit, you must have a thing for this fucker, that's for sure. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have the two of your bodies thrown together." He released Kaya, who looked around in confusion, and then in fear. "Yeah, that's right! He couldn't save you!" Kaya ran to Nathan's side, nudging him and whimpering for him to get up. He weakly ran his hand through her mane, crushed by the fact that he had failed her. He would get the easy way out, but Kaya… he didn't even want to think about it. He was scared, and there was nothing he could do. "Now you're gonna fuckin' know what I've been through because of you! Now look at him!" Keith yelled. Nathan felt her tears falling onto his cheeks, stinging far more than either of the bullets he'd taken. "You just watch as I blow his fucking head off!"

The absol growled, and despite her injury, leapt towards Keith with more viciousness than any of them could've imagined. A shot rang out, and the snow jumped up beside Nathan's head. He rolled over, using his arms to push himself up. As he staggered onto his feet, he struggled to avoid falling over immediately, all while Kaya was clawing and slashing at the man in front of her. Keith pulled out his hunting knife and stabbed towards her, causing for the absol to back up defensively. Nathan weakly pulled his own knife from its holster, and approached Keith, unbeknownst to the aggressor. He put whatever strength he could behind the thrust, sticking the blade about halfway into Keith's back, and causing him to swear as he swiftly turned around and sliced at Nathan, who ducked behind his right arm to avoid taking the blade to his face. A gash opened up in his thick, winter coat, but he was unharmed. Nathan followed it up with a slash of his own as quick as he could, but it was no use, as Keith dodged back with relative ease. Kaya slashed her claws deep into his leg as he attacked Nathan, and Keith responded by turning around and kicking her as hard as he could. The absol rolled over, doing her best to get up as the crazed hunter focused on Nathan.

The knife was brought downwards towards Nathan's head, and he raised his arm, intending to impact Keith's wrist. The blade instead sliced through the outer muscle of the side of his arm, stopping a few inches from his face. Nathan responded by swiftly bringing his knee up to the enemy's groin. Keith lurched forth in pain, and Nathan connected his left fist with Keith's jaw, making him stumble back, taking the knife back through Nathan's arm once again. "Fuck!" he yelled, grabbing his bleeding arm in response to the deep red gash.

"You're runnin' outta steam," Keith said. "But me? I can do this all damn day!" Kaya had managed to get back onto her feet, and he focused his attention on her. "Ah, one moment Vincent." He hauled off and kicked her once again in the side, and the absol collapsed onto the ground with a whimper.

"Fuck you Keith!" Nathan charged him, slamming his weight into the hunter as he tried to thrust the blade into his stomach. Keith grabbed his wrist, backing up with him quickly to avoid being impaled, and quickly brought his hand to Nathan's neck, stepping to the side and shoving him onto the rock. Nathan slammed into it head first, and his world had turned upside down. The knife had been dropped somewhere, but all he could see was his own blood. Grunting, he rolled over on all fours, only for Keith to bring his foot to Nathan's head. He fell flat on his chest, his face within the cold snow.

"It's been real fun, Vince," Keith said, "but I fear our time has come to an end." Keith walked past him, stooping beside the absol. "And you… don't you go tappin' out on me yet. We got plans tonight." He struck her in the face, and Kaya yipped out as his fist connected. "Oh, I can tell you're gonna be a squealer." He struck her again, and Nathan begged Arceus for a way out of this. His hand found the knife, and he gripped it tightly, doing everything in his power to just get up for a few more seconds. It was then that he'd spotted it, forsaken in the heat of the fight. Keith's revolver. The Colt Anaconda glimmered in the snow, and Nathan crawled towards it as quietly as he could.

The sound of Kaya's whimpering struck a painful cord within him as Keith punched her again and again. Nathan was halfway there to the revolver as he picked the absol up off the ground, hurling her into the nearest boulder. She tried crawling away from him, but Keith just laughed as he approached the injured pokémon. "Oh come on - why don't you just stay awhile? We can talk about my fucking friend as I tear you limb from limb!" Nathan's right hand brushed against the revolver, and he pulled it towards him by the barrel. He slowly repositioned it, grabbing the handgun by its grip. Five unused shots, and more than enough to do the trick. Nathan pushed himself onto his knees and used both thumbs to pull the hammer back. A single click sounded, and Keith snapped to attention, turning around and seeing the .44 magnum pointed his way. He immediately ran the few yards between them, and the shot echoed throughout the mountains. A large hole appeared in Keith's stomach, and he stumbled back, falling beside the absol.

"N-no!" he grunted. He looked over at Kaya, then back at Nathan. Keith immediately made a move for his knife, intending to sink it into the back of her neck so that he could take her with him. Nathan pulled the trigger rapidly, and Keith flinched, dropping the knife. Several red spots had appeared throughout his chest, and he sat still, his breath fading away. A shrill ring within his ears, Nathan pulled himself onto his feet, nearly falling over in the process, but checked the cylinder. A single unfired cartridge remained.

"I… t-told you," Nathan said. "I-I did… That you w-weren't gonna get her…" Keith couldn't say anything in response, dark blood seeping from his mouth. Nathan cocked the hammer back one last time, raising the gun to Keith's head. Wordlessly, he stared at the fallen man before him, the fire in his eyes having been extinguished. The final shot sounded, and Keith's skull opened up, the hunter's body falling into the snow with a soft _thud_. Nathan stared at the body for a second, trying to process all that had happened. But there would be time for that later.

"K…Kaya… are you… okay?" A slight whimper was his only response. He stumbled towards the absol, and she used whatever strength she could to roll over. She was beaten and bruised, but she would be fine. "Oh… thank Arceus…" He knelt beside her, running his hand down her side. "We've gotta go…" He turned to look back at the village, and far off in the distance, several hunters could be seen returning from the Northern route, intent on finding the source of all the gunfire. Kaya trembled as she forced herself onto her feet, then turned to look at Keith's body. "N-no…" he said, stopping her from turning around. Tears were in her eyes, and she nudged into him, making him bring her into a hug. "There ya go…" He lowered his head, and they shared a quick, loving kiss. The absol pulled back, looking at him with exhaustion, but with happiness. She looked over his wounds, though none of them were too bad. He was bleeding just about everywhere, but one particular sight had caught her attention. "Yeah, looks like we're gonna have matching scars." Kaya nodded, before looking back towards the town. "Let's get out of this damn place," he said.

The snow was beginning to pick up, and Nathan stood back up and walked as quickly as he could to her ball. He grabbed it, the steel surface of pokéball having turned frigid from the snow. Nathan pointed it towards her. "I'll… see you tonight, sweetie." She nodded with a faint smile, and like that, disappeared within the device. Nathan quickly scanned the ground, locating his tossed weapons. But not before making his way back to Keith's corpse. He snatched the bandolier from around his shoulders. "Piece of shit," he said, spitting on the body before turning back around. Walking downhill, he picked up his bag and his weapons, stopping at the revolver. He looked at the Ruger Blackhawk, then back at the engraved revolver that he was holding, deciding to holster Keith's .44 magnum instead. All those men sent to kill him, and all of them dead.

Nathan stopped, noticing the felt cowboy hat that had been dropped when Keith had rolled downhill. He stooped down, picking it up and rubbing the snow off of it. Looking at it for a second, he put it on, and with Kaya safely tucked away in his pocket, he headed South for a new start.


	4. Off the Deep End

**A/N:**

 **Hey everyone, this is a request fulfillment for Lex (FuryWrites). In between the other two one-shots in length, and somewhere around 26K words.**

 **If by chance you want to enter the drawing for a one-shot, then the requirements are in the first "chapter."**

 **Hope y'all enjoy.**

* * *

 **Off the Deep End**

 **(F Dewott x M Human)**

 **Year: 2038 - 2044**

 **Location: Goldenrod City, Johto**

* * *

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

"Alright, everyone just remember that there will be no horseplay, but other than that, have fun!" The teacher's assistant dismissed the excited kids, most of which hurriedly made their way towards the lake. The gentle summer breeze carried the scent of the park's freshly cut grass - perfect weather for the occasion. It was the last day of school, and the class was celebrating their eighth grade 'graduation.' Really, Omar had thought, it was more of a celebration, but that was the least of his concerns right now. Though the thirteen-year old couldn't swim, there were several other activities going on. Some of his classmates were already setting up makeshift goals and preparing for a game of soccer.

Omar joined them, and he was selected fairly soon. Like many within his family, which had moved to Johto about thirty years ago from the Orre region, he had enjoyed soccer for many years and was pretty good at it, though he preferred defending over trying to score. With almond-colored skin, brown eyes, and black hair, he was currently 5'6 and around a hundred forty pounds. He was glad that school was out, that was for sure. It wasn't that he hated class, either; on the contrary, he was quite good at math. But more often than not, he found himself counting down the days until school would be out. Though now that it actually was, he found himself in the same predicament as last year.

The two team captains - both forwards - flipped the coin, and the other side ended up calling the toss. Everyone took their places, with Omar's best friend being the goalkeeper for their side. Though Bryce was a bit on the sloppy side with his handwork, he was more than fast enough to at least get to the ball in the case that it was kicked towards him. He had a great sense of humor, much to his classmates' enjoyment and his teachers' frustration, and seemed to be able to make a joke about any situation.

Tyler swiftly passed the ball to his left, marking the start of the game. He watched the ball drift among centerfield for a few moments, and figuring that it wasn't going anywhere for the time being, he made his way towards his friend. "So…" Omar started off awkwardly, "got any plans this summer?"

"Not really," Bryce replied. "But some other guys and I are gonna go hang out around the old abandoned motel this weekend, if ya wanna tag along."

"Wait… you mean the ones that got locked up a few years back?" Bryce nodded with a wide grin. "What? Why would you wanna go there? You'll get in trouble if you get caught…"

"Yeah, well gettin' caught ain't exactly part of the plan," the goalie said. "Anyways, we're just having a look around the place. It's gonna be demolished soon, and I'd like to see what all that fuss was about before it gets leveled. You know _why_ that old motel is such a big deal?"

"No… not really," he answered.

"Back when the Reapers were going through the city, they went in there and supposedly killed everyone there."

"Arceus…" Omar muttered. "That's terrifying. And you guys wanna go there for what reason exactly?"

"Because it's awesome! Who wouldn't want to see something like that?"

"I don't know if I'd call something like that awesome, but okay…"

"Aww, come on. You've gotta lighten up some time, man," Bryce said.

"I'm not trying to be a wimp, it's just… if the cops catch us… oh man, my parents would be _pissed_ ," Omar stated.

"Ah, well you do you. But we're gonna go check out what those guys were up to. That's some stuff you can't learn in a class there."

"Well gee, I wonder why…" He edged forward as one of the strikers from the other team sprinted towards them. Had it not been for the midfielder, Omar would have kicked it as hard as possible, but the opportunity never came. Elliot had intercepted the ball, kicking it between the striker's legs and taking off with it towards the other side. That was what was so entertaining about the game: though it lacked the brutality of many other sports, the entire game could change at a short notice.

The ball ended up coming towards them several times, though, and each time it did, Omar nailed it with all his might, sending it to the other side of the field. One time it had even landed pretty close to the opposing goal, but it would've taken a miracle for a score like that. Most of the time was spent by making sure the ball wasn't heading towards them and conversing about any upcoming ideas for the summer.

"Hey," Omar said, "didn't you mention something a few months back about becoming a trainer?"

"Yeah, I was kinda toying with the idea a bit," Bryce replied, "but my parents were pretty against it. Especially after all that stuff that happened back five years ago."

"That definitely wasn't a time to be a trainer," Omar admitted. "It sounds wrong, but… I'm glad they killed that guy… They're kinda creepy though."

"Damn right about that," Bryce said with a laugh. "But what can ya expect from those guys? Them Reapers can't be all right in the head, having a job like that. I'm glad they do it though."

"Me too."

"Anyways, I wish that my parents would back off of it now. I never wanted to leave the country or anything like that, and Johto is pretty safe."

"Huh. I'd just be cool with even having a pokémon," Omar stated.

"I guess so. I'd probably pick chikorita if i had the choice among the local starters, but from the looks of it, it's not gonna happen for some time to come…"

"Really? I'm more of a cyndaquil guy."

"Well right now, I'm kinda hoping you'll be more of a defending guy…" Omar turned around, seeing the opposing striker - a kid by the name of William - running towards them, maintaining control of the ball despite the pressure from the midfield. Another striker approached, this one being in front of Omar, and he immediately tried to put himself between Will and the other opponent. William passed it quickly to his teammate, who secured the ball before Omar could stop it, but he wasn't about to let up on the striker. Omar shuffled with him, keeping his focus on the ball itself rather than his foe's footwork. His chance came, and he stopped the ball mid-maneuver before kicking it with all his might.

Had the ball flown straight, it would have easily become a concern for the other side's defenders. But in his rush to get rid of it, Omar had accidentally put a spin on the ball, causing it to fly to the right and well out of bounds. He watched as it hit the ground, bouncing out towards the dock.

"Good going," Bryce said jokingly. "Now go on and get it." Omar looked at the other kids, who looked back expectantly, and he found himself too nervous to speak out. Maybe someone else would be in the water and could help him retrieve the ball. He hastily turned around and began heading for the old docks.

Once he'd reached them, though, he was disappointed to find no one there, nor any sign of the ball. All the other kids who were in the water were quite a ways off. _Where the hell did it go?_ he wondered. Omar cautiously looked over the side of the dock, seeing exactly what he was looking for on the water's surface. _Oh… well crap…_ It was just slightly out of reach, so he would need a stick or something similar to knock it back towards the shallow water. If only he'd been taught how to swim…

Eventually he found a thin stick that looked long enough. Hopefully it wouldn't break when he tried to use it. Right now, though, he was about out of time, and the others surely wanted to resume the game. Omar went prone on the dock, stretching out as far as he could and using the stick to lightly prod the ball. It bent, but it still held, though the ball didn't move a whole lot. A slight spin was put on it, and it began drifting away towards the open lake. "Why can't this be easy?" he muttered to himself. He stretched as far as he could before swiftly hitting the ball back towards him. It stopped in place, still spinning, and one more good strike like that and it'd be where he needed. That is, until he felt himself about to fall over the side.

Omar hurriedly tried to clamp onto the dock, but it was too late. He fell into the lake ungracefully, immediately feeling himself enveloped within the water, his feet unable to find the ground beneath. His mind went blank, sheer terror gripping him as he flailed around, trying to keep upright. He held his breath, desperately trying to work his way towards the surface for what seemed like hours. But the teenager's muscles became exhausted, and the pressure became too much, the water forcing its way into his lungs. With the nearest post of the dock at least ten feet away, there was nothing Omar could do aside from panic. He was going to die over a soccer ball. Had he been able to, the boy would have cried as he began to spasm, the life being suffocated from him.

A swift force from behind rammed into him, though, and he found himself being shoved swiftly towards the shore. He could feel his foot brush across the ground, and with what little strength he had, Omar stumbled onto his feet, his head barely surfacing over the water. The boy coughed violently, spewing out as much of the water as he could as he stumbled towards the dock's pillar. Omar grabbed it, and through the heaving, turned around to see his savior.

Though he couldn't make out all of the features, he could see a small blue head, and a dark pair of eyes barely above the surface. He wasn't sure, but it looked like a dewott from what he could tell. "Th-thank y-you," the boy said, far too shaken to be embarrassed about the situation. The water-type dipped beneath the surface, disappearing as quickly as it had come.

It wasn't long before others had come, trying to find out what all the hold up had been, only to find him sputtering and gagging still. The teachers got involved, and medical attention was given. All activity stopped for the time being, and Bryce was more than a bit concerned for his well-being, but once it was clear that he was going to be fine, everything resumed. But despite that, Omar sat out for the rest of the activities, unable to think about anything other than the event. _Stupid,_ he fumed to himself. _I should've asked someone else to get it!_ Just a quick, absent-minded action like that, and it had nearly cost him his life. Had it not been for that dewott, it very well would have been a fatal mistake. He wanted to see the creature again, but there was no chance in hell he was about to walk over to that dock again. At least, not today.

But as the excited yells of his classmates cried out among the air, Omar remained silent, his mind still swarming. His body was still sore all over. More than that, though, he knew what he was going to do tomorrow.

 **. . . . .**

Omar stepped off the bus, the small paper bag in hand. He'd told his mother that he was going to hang out with a friend in order to get out of the apartment. And that wasn't fully wrong, either… or guaranteed. He'd hoped that the pokémon would show up again, as he wanted to properly thank it aside from the few words he'd managed to nearly choke on the previous day. The teenager hadn't exactly told either of his parents about the incident, as he didn't feel the need to. _No doubt mom would never let me near water again_ , he thought to himself. As foolish as it seemed, that was exactly where he was headed now.

The bus had carried him as far as the outskirts of the city, but he knew where to go from there. The lake of interest - Lake Adira - was just North of the city, towards the beginning of Route 35. The few items he'd been able to afford from what was left of his birthday money would be either a hit or a miss, but he hoped that the dewott would accept them. Mostly a few packs of berries, because he wasn't sure what else it might be interested in from a store.

Several trainers passed him by, one or two inquiring about a battle. He'd love to have been able to accept, but he lacked any pokémon, as well as idea of what he was doing in the slightest. But it was always fun to watch it on television, particularly when league battles were aired. Maybe one day he'd be able to get a pokémon of his own, but each of his parents, despite living apart, thought that he should be older before he took on that sort of responsibility. Or at least, able to provide for the creature with a job.

The park entrance came into view, and there was almost nobody there. There were only a few trainers out playing with their pokémon near where the soccer game had been held, so he wasn't particularly worried about the dewott being scared off due to the amount of people present. Omar slowly approached the docks, careful to stay away from the edges. The last thing he wanted was to repeat yesterday's accident. Looking around, he observed the scenery. The dock extended about thirty feet out into the open water, and towards the right was a small bank which cattails sprung up from.

"H-hey…" he said, somewhat quietly. He had no idea if the pokémon was even near, but he was going to at least try. "Are you there?" he asked aloud. The only answer was the slight waves of the lake, gently flowing into the shore before receding back once again. He waited there for about ten minutes, calling out to the pokémon that wasn't about to show up. Eventually, he decided to set the bag down, a bit disheartened, but determined nonetheless. Maybe tomorrow he would have more luck.

— — — — —

 **Dewott**

— — — — —

She watched from the water's surface as the human left the area, curious as to why he had returned. _He obviously can't swim… why would he come back here?_ she wondered. But she saw the paper bag that he had left near the dock before leaving and eyed it curiously. _What is that?_ Looking around carefully, she slowly made her way to the bank, making sure that no humans were nearby before heading over towards the bag. Grabbing it in her mouth, the water-type quickly dashed underneath the dock before observing its contents.

Some sort of clear substance was used to contain several different species of berries that she had never seen before, and the various aromas were tickling her nose. One of the objects within had a very peculiar scent and shape, being a hard bar of some sort that was wrapped in something shiny. It almost looked like the tops of those large human structures in the distance. She grabbed it with her forepaws and nibbled at it. _Eww… that's not good at all…_ She looked at the bar disgusted at its taste, but had noticed that it had deformed quite easily. The outer coating had given way, revealing something brown inside. The dewott thought for a moment before carefully peeling the wrapper back, releasing far more of the smell than before. Taking another bite, she was far more impressed. _Oh wow…_ she thought. Though she didn't know what this was, it was amazing. After taking another bite, she dropped it back into the bag. Surely her mother and sister would enjoy the taste as well.

The trick would be getting the bag back to their den without it getting wet, but she was pretty sure that she'd be able manage. Along the way she found herself wondering about the human. He had seemingly wanted to make contact with her again, but she had been far too timid to reveal herself. Part of her had been curious, yet she knew from her mother that humans couldn't be trusted. But he was so young, and he seemed nice enough. After all, he'd dropped off the gift for her. _Wait… what will Mom think about me bringing this back?_ Well, it wasn't like she'd gone out and associated with a human, so the dewott supposed that everything would be fine. But he had clearly wanted to see her, having a bit of a disappointed look when he hadn't. Maybe if she wasn't as bashful as she was, she might've come out. _But what would Mom think?_ No doubt she wouldn't take too well to news like that.

But he seemed nice enough. He brought her food, after all. Though according to her mother, that was often a technique humans would use before capturing them, and that was the last thing she needed right now. Yet she couldn't help but feel curious about him. He was a younger one, and she couldn't see any of those capturing orbs on him. _Maybe… he was just grateful._ If he came back, perhaps she would look a bit more into him.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

He was determined to see the pokémon, at least once more, so remaining true to his prior resolve, the teen returned to Lake Adira once again, this time two days after his last visit. He brought another small bag, though this one consisted of a few snack foods that he'd brought from the house. As it turned out, fresh produce had been expensive.

Omar approached the dock again, hoping that today might be a different story. He hadn't been able to come yesterday due to switching into his father's home for the week as per the divorce agreement. He'd known several friends that hadn't taken very well to similar situations within their own households, and at first, he hadn't either. But both his parents loved him, and simply were better off apart. It was an incompatible pairing from the very beginning, though each had said they'd make the mistake again just to have their two children, the other being Omar's older brother, Sergio.

Just as he had done last time, Omar called out for the dewott, and just as before, no answer came. What was he even expecting? For her to release some sort of cry in response? He probably looked stupid, just standing there calling out for a random pokémon, all while being on the very dock that he'd nearly drowned beside just a few days ago. But he couldn't bring himself to not try. He wanted to see the creature at least one more time. Then, if that was simply it, he'd at least be satisfied.

He was about to leave when he saw something out towards his left. In the midst of the water, there was no mistaking who he was looking at. "Hey!" he yelled, excited but unnecessarily loud. The dewott timidly dipped beneath the water. "No! I'm sorry! I was just really happy to see you again! I'm not gonna hurt you! Promise!" A few seconds passed, and he watched as those black, beady eyes appeared above the surface once more, this time ever-so-slightly closer. "I uhh… brought you a few more things. It looks like you got the last bag." He was trying to calm his nerves, but Omar was overjoyed to be able to see the pokémon again, if only for a little time. He didn't have the ability to properly thank it the other day, and he wanted to talk at least a little bit to it.

Omar set the bag down at the bank and stepped back, trying to show with his body language that he meant no harm. "Oh, and uhh… I don't have any pokéballs, if you're wondering about that. I'm not a trainer," he said. That seemed to be sufficient enough for the dewott, as it began slowly swimming towards the shore. _Oh wow… definitely a girl,_ he thought upon seeing her slightly curved form. _Wait… I got saved by a girl?_ The idea made him laugh more so than become embarrassed about the fact. It just wasn't what he had expected, though he most certainly wasn't complaining about the fact. It was far better than death, after all.

The teen watched as she cautiously approached the bag, looking inside of it, then back again at him. "Did you like the last one?" he asked. She nodded, saying something quietly in her native speech. "I'm sorry, I can't really understand you…" He took a seat in the grass, watching as she struggled to open a granola bar that he'd brought. "If you'd like… I could help you with that…" The dewott seemed to think it over for a moment, uncertain as to whether or not to trust the human. But eventually she walked forward, before setting the wrapped treat in front of him and darting back shyly. "Aww, you don't need worry about a thing. I don't mean you any harm," Omar said. "I mean, I came here just so I could thank you for saving my life." He set the opened snack back, and she hesitantly grabbed it and took an experimental nibble.

"Ottt…" she said softly. _Arceus, that was adorable!_ he thought.

"See? It's good, right?" She nodded before taking another, much larger, bite. "If you want, I could… I could bring you some more." She looked at him questioningly. "Oh, no don't get the wrong idea now! I'm not trying to bribe ya into coming with me or anything. I'm just…" Omar looked out towards the water, thinking about how it could have all ended within ten feet of water. "I'm just glad I didn't die over there…" The dewott looked at him curiously, and he shook his head. "Is… is it cool if I come by here? Maybe talk to you some?" She slowly nodded, though it was clear she still had a few reservations about it. "I can bring more snacks if you'd like! Got any favorites?" She disappeared underneath the dock to his surprise. _Was… I too loud?_ he thought sadly, thinking that he had scared her off.

But she returned, holding a torn piece of wrapper in her mouth. "Ohhh, so you like chocolate?" he asked with a laugh. "That's easy enough to get. So it's fine if I pay you a few visits?" She nodded, finishing off the granola bar. "Really? Thanks so much!"

Of course, by the end of their chat, he was beginning to wonder if she would regret that decision. He talked to her about his school year or sports, since he didn't have much else to talk about in this point of his life. The dewott sat there and listened quietly, sometimes responding with a slight noise on her part, though he couldn't understand what she was saying. But she listened to the excited kid, despite likely being ready for him to shut up. If she was thinking such a thing, though, she surely didn't show it, looking back at him with interest in what he had to say, even if she might not have understood what exactly he was talking about most of the time.

"Oh crap," he said, "my dad's gonna get back from work before long. I better head out now." She tilted her head, releasing a questioning purr. "Can I come back tomorrow?" he asked. "Same time, maybe?" The dewott seemed to think it over for a moment, but she ended up nodding. "Alright! I'll see ya then!" Omar got up and, with a wave, began hurrying out of the park. If he didn't get to the bus stop soon, he'd end up missing it, and the last thing he wanted to do was run four miles back home.

 **. . . . .**

The bus pulled away, leaving Omar about two blocks away from his father's apartment. Sergio should have already been there, as his shift at the grocery store tended to be an early one. As he walked back, the teenager couldn't help but think about the water-type. She was a shy one, that was for sure, but yet she had sat there while he went on and on about whatever he'd felt like talking about and listened to him. He wished that he could hear some of what she had to say, but unfortunately humans weren't gifted in matters such as that.

But the fact that she hadn't run off, and sat there and let him talk? That was far more than he could've hoped for. Most wild pokémon wouldn't have paid a human any mind, or would have left the scene to avoid a potential battle, or the proposition of being captured. She, on the other hand, had sat not too far away from him, though it was abundantly clear that she was the bashful type.

Omar opened the door to the apartment, already being unlocked. _Great, so Sergio's home._ His older brother, sure enough, was sitting in the living room, looking at something on his phone. He was still in his uniform, so he must've stayed back later than usual. "What kept you?" he asked. "Not like you've got anywhere to be."

"Hey, don't be an ass! I've got friends…"

"If you say so. Where'd you go, anyways?" Sergio asked.

"The park by Lake Adira," Omar replied.

"Really? What got you into going there?"

"I uhh… can you keep a secret?" Sergio set his phone down, looking at him questioningly.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything bad - honest! It's just… when we had our last day of school, I almost drowned…"

"What?! Why the hell would you go into the water when you know damn well you can't swim?!" his brother asked.

"I didn't mean to," Omar said in his defense. "I just kinda fell in. But a pokémon saved me - a nice dewott. I went back to visit her, that's all…" Sergio shook his head in disbelief. Probably because it was in Omar's nature to get involved in some sort of trouble or another.

"You should've been more careful," he said.

"What I really need is to learn how to swim."

"Or just stay away from deep water. Seems like a pretty foolproof plan to me, genius. Definitely better than relying on a little water-type to save your pathetic ass."

"Fine," Omar stated.

"Anyways, just stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Whatever you say, Mom," he joked, earning an annoyed thump on his head.

— — — — —

 **Dewott**

— — — — —

"Alright, not that we aren't enjoying the snacks or anything, but where are you getting it from?" her sister asked. "It's not natural, so both Mom and I know that it's human-made."

"It… yeah, it is," the Dewott replied. Her twin sister looked anything but in appearance, already having reached her final evolution. She was far more bold than the dewott, and due to her actually engaging in battles, had become a samurott years ago. And to think that her sister could hardly catch a fish…

"So how are you getting it?" the samurott asked.

"Umm… a… a h-human that I saved from drowning… he's been bringing it…" She could already anticipate the trouble she would be in.

"What?! Are you outta your mind?!" the larger water-type asked. "You know what Mom said about that!"

"I-I know…" the dewott said, cowering from her far stronger sister. "But I couldn't just let him die…"

"I'm not saying you should have, but visiting him afterwards? And while we were out, too?! Don't you think that's just a little bit reckless? What if he tried to take you? We wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it!"

"He… he could have done no such thing," the dewott replied. "He lacks any of those devices they use for capturing."

"I don't care. That was careless on your part, and you should have known better!"

"Geez, Sis… you're starting to sound like Mom…"

"Oh no, Mom's gonna be a lot more upset when she finds out. She's been wondering, too, and you know how she feels about them…"

"You can't tell her," the dewott said quietly. "Please…"

"Oh I won't, but when she _does_ find out, I wouldn't wanna be you…" The samurott rolled her eyes before walking off the bank of their small, secluded island back into the water. Only her head remained above the surface. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Sis. I know you can't fight all that well…" The dewott averted her gaze, resenting the fact but knowing that it was true nonetheless. "Anyways, I think I'm gonna go fetch us some dinner. Those snacks you brought, while tasty, aren't really a meal for the three of us…"

"O-okay…" Her sister touched their foreheads together - an affectionate gesture between the two of them - before swimming off. The water-type sighed to herself, feeling like even more of a burden. She could hardly hunt, couldn't fight, and now… she had just introduced a new cause for concern. Sure, the boy seemed nice enough, but her sister also had a point. What if he had _not_ been? She had her doubts about being able to fend off a creature, even with her scalchops. She could hardly fight with the razor-sharp shells, and the thought of using them for violence? If her life were in danger, then the dewott would hopefully be able to do what needed to be done - if she could muster up the courage, that is.

She absentmindedly popped one of the berries into her mouth. It was dark purple and had many small orbs, and each time she ate one, it stained her mouth a dark color. But it was sweet, and the dewott enjoyed them immensely. She only wondered about the human that had brought them. Who was he, and what exactly did he want? Did he really come just to talk? And to her of all people? Saving him had been on a whim, and likely something that any nearby pokémon would have done in her place. Yet the boy seemed not to care about that, and ventured all the way from that large city to visit her. Though she didn't know whether or not she could fully trust the human, it was nice to feel wanted by someone who wasn't in her family.

 **. . . . .**

She looked around cautiously, making sure that no one else was around. Just as he said that he would, the boy had returned, carrying yet another paper bag. The water-type would be lying if she said that wasn't enjoying this sort of treatment, though.

The dewott walked onto the shore, stopping there as the human set the bag down a few feet beside him. "Hello again. Did ya miss me?" he asked with a laugh. "Of course you did! I missed you to, ya know!" The dewott couldn't help but laugh internally at his silly enthusiasm. She replied with a light chirp. _Maybe a bit…_ She looked through the snacks he had brought her, noticing a few more of the chocolate bars she had discovered that she loved. Likely knowing what she was thinking, Omar grabbed one and opened it, offering it to her. The dewott gradually walked closer to him before accepting it, sitting down and taking as large a bite as her mouth would allow.

"Ha, you must really like those," he said. "By the way, I never told you my name. I'm Omar." She tilted her head questioningly. "It's not one from around here. My family came from the Orre region. Do you know where that is?" he asked. She shook her head. All she'd really known her whole life was this lake, and even that she didn't know the human name for. "Well it's on the other half of the world. Really far away from Johto, that's for sure!" The boy looked at her, seeing her look at him attentively. She was interested in what he had to say. "Say, do you have a name? I mean, not your species name, but like a real one?" The dewott shook her head. More often than not, pokémon in the wild didn't have a need for them.

"That's sad. Do you want one?" She giggled to herself, and he smiled upon hearing the sound. The dewott had no clue why she would need such a thing, but she supposed there was no harm in it. "I was just thinking… it might make things easier when I talk to you…" The water-type nodded. _Go for it._

And he did. Omar laid back and seemed to generate an endless supply of suggestions, but she wasn't too fond of the way most of them sounded. That is, until he hit the last one. "How about… Krystal?" he asked. Her ears perked up. _Oh… that has a nice ring to it,_ she thought. "So you like that name, huh?" She hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded, albeit slowly. "I was kinda running out of ideas there, but then I got to thinking about your cute little eyes, and then it kinda hit me." The dewott gave a slight smile, embarrassed to hear the compliment but happy nonetheless.

Omar and the newly-named dewott sat there for some time, and as before, he went on and on about topics that she wasn't really familiar with, but Krystal listened regardless. This time, he mentioned something about some friends of his getting into trouble last night, sneaking around some abandoned place and getting caught by police - though she wasn't exactly sure what those were, either. He'd mentioned that he told a friend that it was a bad idea just a few days ago, but this so-called 'Bryce' hadn't exactly listened. Of course, that led the one-way conversation back to the topic of his near-drowning experience.

"My brother and I were talking the other day, and I was kinda thinking that I needed to learn how to swim. You know, so something like that doesn't happen again…" Krystal nodded; _everyone_ should know how to swim. That skill was absolutely imperative, and as Omar had proven the other day, the lack of such an ability could easily be a fatal mistake. The water-type thought to herself for a second, eventually sighing to herself. She motioned for him to follow her as she headed towards the water. "Oh…. I uhh… you think this is a good spot?" he asked. _As good as any_ , she said, though all he heard was a series of chirps.

Krystal treaded into the water, though due to her size, she found herself doing backstrokes only a few feet in. Omar, wearing gym shorts and a tee shirt, followed her in, albeit gradually due to his reservations about the very area. _Come on now, it's fine,_ she thought. _I didn't let you drown before, and I'm not about to now._ The boy must have gotten the message, as he started wading in the lukewarm water, coming up to his stomach. _That's good enough for now._

For the next hours, she began to show him what she knew. Krystal began with basic floating, which would at least prevent him from drowning in the case that he faced a similar situation, and it didn't take him long to get the hang of it with her guidance. Once that was taken care of, she showed him some basic paddling, and though it looked silly, looks could be damned when it came to something like this. By the end of their session, he could at least float, though the actual swimming part was a bit on the lacking side. Had there been more time, she would have taught him more, but she needed to head off. Surely her mother would be questioning about where she had been so late, and likely the boy's own parents as well.

The dewott led him back to the bank, and he must have understood the implications. "Yeah, I guess it's best that I get going," Omar stated. "It's almost night." Krystal nodded, and the human had knelt down, the water still dripping off of his clothing. It was then that he did the unexpected: the boy reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She immediately blushed, not sure what to make of the action on his part. The boy released his hold on the stunned water-type. "Thank you - for all of this. It really meant a lot to me." She nodded shyly, glad that she could help.

She watched as he left the park, shaking her head before jumping back into the lake - but not before grabbing the latest bag of treats. Whatever that final gesture was, she had no clue, but there was no denying that it felt sort of nice. Krystal was broken out of her thoughts when a swift blur launched out of the water next to her, causing her to shriek. Her sister couldn't stifle her laughter, and the dewott rolled her eyes.

"Don't… do that…"

"Relax, Sis. You gotta lighten up and have some fun every once in awhile," the samurott said.

"I wouldn't call being scared half to death fun…" Krystal murmured.

"Well what about teaching that human of yours to swim?" She looked at her sister in shock.

"Were you… watching me?" the dewott asked.

"Of course. You said you were meeting with a human, and I wanted to make sure you were safe. Though seeing him now, I doubt there's any reason for concern. They're a weak species, and he's an absolutely hopeless one at that."

"Hey… he's really nice," Krystal stated. The two of them were on route towards their den, with the dewott's sister lazily floating on her back. Yet even barely putting in any effort, the samurott was faster than her. Still, with what skill she did have, she was able to teach Omar some of the basics, and it felt good knowing that she had helped him. But it was only fair, given that he'd brought as many snacks as he had.

Being in his company, though, was nice. It seemed like she had a friend, and that was a feeling that she wasn't exactly been familiar with due to her timidity. She didn't feel any pressure around him after the few days she'd been with him - most likely due to his more easy-going demeanor. As the water-type paddled back home, she anticipated the next time that she would see the boy.

— — — — —

 **General**

— — — — —

The rest of the summer proceeded in a similar manner. Omar often came by, at least every other day if he could, and between Krystal and his own efforts he was able to fully learn how to swim. And once he had learned the skill, the two of them found themselves swimming for fun. Many times he came over to do his schoolwork near her or simply to talk with her. She watched over the course of the next two years as he matured, growing both taller and stronger. She did as well, though not to the same extent.

Their relationship had become one of the three she treasured, actually. Her mother, just as Krystal's sister had said, was not initially fond of her daughter hanging around with a human. Not after what their kind had done to the poor samurott. But eventually she relented from her position once both of her daughters were able to verify that Omar wasn't a threat. Still, though, Krystal knew very well that her mother harvested an unbudging dislike of their kind, and it looked like that feeling wasn't about to change. But as long as she didn't keep the dewott from seeing Omar…

Of course, with the two girls having come of age, there was always the prospect of finding a mate of their own in mind. Krystal's sister would have better luck with that than the dewott, who doubted that she'd be someone worth considering. She simply wasn't all that good of an option given her lack of skill or strength, other than maybe for companionship, and even then she was very shy and likely wouldn't make it far in a conversation. The only male she had had any significant interaction with had been Omar, and Arceus above _that_ wasn't something she could actually consider. True, they had their affectionate gestures, but humans and pokémon weren't really meant to be like that.

But she supposed that stuff would work itself out in time. Or at least, she hoped.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

It had taken a month's worth of paychecks, but he had finally managed to get it, and he couldn't wait to show Krystal. Perhaps ironically, he had been working as a lifeguard for a high-end resort on the eastern outskirts of the city known as the Silverridge Resort. Given that he currently didn't need to worry about paying for rent or food, Omar had been able to save most of his income, and for some time he'd had his eyes fixed on a particular piece of technology: the VFT collar. After the military had invented them, since having moved on to some newer model, trainers around the world were buying them left and right, now being able to communicate with their pokémon like never before. It had removed the single largest barrier between the two groups in history. He only couldn't wait to see the look on the dewott's face when they tested it out.

The teenager looked around the park, and saw that aside from a few older trainers currently wrapped up in a battle, there was no one else around. It wasn't the older ones that he had to worry about anyways. The young ones, on the other hand, didn't seem to understand that you couldn't just snatch up some random creature solely because it looked cute or the fact that you needed it on some sort of team that you were trying to create. If a pokémon was interested in accompanying humans, then they would show themselves in front of humans. Anything else was looked at the law as kidnapping, and even for younger trainers, it could warrant a suspension of their license to battle.

Just as usual, he saw the dewott's head emerging from the water, though she wasn't looking his way. No doubt she was waiting for his arrival, but Krystal seemed to be focusing deeply on something. Maybe she was upset with him for not visiting at the usual time within the last three days. He hoped that wasn't the case…

"Hey…" he said quietly, causing her ears to perk up. "Everything okay?" She treaded out of the water and joined him. "You're looking a bit sad…" She murmured something in her own language, and that reminded him of his surprise. Omar sat down in the grass and pulled the small package from within his backpack. "Well I've brought something that might cheer you up a little!" Krystal looked at the package curiously as he began opening it. He had made sure to get one that was blue, and the small rectangular device was in the front of the collar. "Sit still for a second - this won't hurt." Of course, after all this time, the dewott trusted him and knew full well that he wouldn't do anything to break that trust. He snapped the solar-powered device firmly around her neck, but made sure that it wasn't uncomfortable for her. "Alright, now try saying something."

"Oh, what would even be the point?" she asked herself.

"Well the point is that I can understand you now, silly." The water-type looked over at him in shock, causing Omar to laugh.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. It's a translator! I got it so that we could actually talk!"

"Oh… this is wonderful!" she said cheerily. She hugged against his side, and he returned the gesture, rubbing the back of her head. He always loved how her species managed to have that small tuft of hair that stuck up, and he found it adorable. "How did you get such a thing?"

"They've actually been out for about three years. A lot of trainers have them now, actually. I just couldn't afford to get one until I started working this summer."

"You… went and spent all that money so that you could hear me talk?"

"Well yeah, you're my best friend. Of course I wanted to be able to really talk with you!" The dewott smiled timidly at his statement, averting her gaze. "Just please don't break it," he said with a laugh.

"I won't allow anything to happen to it," she said quietly.

"Now what was up earlier?" he asked. "You seemed a bit distracted."

"Well… I'm just a bit worried, that's all," Krystal replied.

"What about?"

"My mother. She… she hasn't been eating a lot, lately. That and she's started coughing. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I don't like seeing her like this…"

"Oh… I hope she gets better… If you would like, we could take her to the pokémon center. They'll be able to check her out thoroughly." He hadn't stepped inside of one yet, but he knew what they were like from hearing his friends speak of them. And the Goldenrod center was one of the most advanced in the world.

"Good luck with that," she said. "I've run the idea by her, too, but… she doesn't like humans at all. I doubt she'd do it." Omar looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What? But why? Most humans aren't bad. Just the same as pokémon, I guess…"

"Well that's true. But she had a rough run-in with your kind, and… it led to me and my sister…"

"Oh no…" He was scared to ask what happen, but the curiosity was still there. The dewott must have known, too, as she went on.

"She was… held captive by some bad men. They forced her to… they wanted eggs. Apparently our species is worth a lot to your kind. But then some men in dark suits came in... Mom said they looked like they crawled out of hell itself... and then there was fighting. All the bad people were killed apparently, and my mom was able to escape once it was all said and done. She found this place not long after. That was about twelve years ago, anyways."

"I'm… sorry to hear that," Omar said. "Guess I see why she doesn't like us much…"

"She's actually fine with you. But she thinks you're one in a million. I don't think she'd go to a place full of humans, especially one in the middle of a city."

"Oh, well that's a shame. I know I can't do much, but… just let me know if there's anything I can get. Food, medicine - anything."

"That's really sweet of you, Omar." She looked out over the lake in the direction of their den, which he knew to be a few miles out. "I… may have to take you up on that offer…"

"Well please don't hesitate. I'm always here for you." She gave him an appreciative smile, and he couldn't help but feel that the dewott was the most adorable thing in the world. Omar enjoyed the fact that they had gotten so close over the years. Now, though, with this translator, he felt that their bond would grow even stronger. He had always wondered what she had to say, being regulated to educated guesses prior to this.

And with the communication barrier between them now shattered, the two of them laid back and spoke for hours. Now it was her turn to talk on and on, and Omar listened closely to everything she had to say. She spoke a great deal about her family, but it seemed that outside of her mother and sister, Omar was her only real friend. That came as a surprise to him - the dewott was the nicest person he'd ever met. But then again, she was incredibly shy, and it had taken her the better part of a month to truly warm up to him.

They continued talking until late at night. By that point, Krystal was sitting on his right leg as she spoke of her sister's most recent visit. The arcanine that she had settled down with even came over, despite his dislike of water, and Krystal had found him to be nice enough, and someone that she would trust her sister's wellbeing to.

"That's nice. He sounds like a great guy," he said. "If you don't mind me asking, what are your plans? Are you gonna settle down too?"

"I… I don't know. You're the only male I can even bring myself to approach… and it's not like I've got a lot to offer, anyways…"

"Ah, that's not true. You're adorable."

"R-really?"

"Of course." He hugged her quickly, knowing that he needed to wrap this session up. Though his mother knew where he was, no doubt she'd be questioning of him returning around 11:00. "Now I better head outta here. I'll see ya tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay." She returned the embrace the best she could before hopping off of him. "Bye Omar!"

"You take care now," he replied.

On the bus ride back, he was already planning out the next day. He'd be working for six hours tomorrow, and then after that he'd probably go back to visit her once again. _Funny_ , he thought, _my social life is pretty much just her. A pokémon that I don't even own._ The thought of it almost made him laugh. It wasn't that he didn't associate with others often - on the contrary, he found it easy to cut up and socialize with people of all sorts of different types. But there was that underlying sense of self-doubt that had always plagued him, and perhaps others had picked up on that over the years.

More than his concern about that, though, was Krystal's mother. He hadn't actually met the samurott, but he felt horrible for what happened to her. Maybe the people who had been responsible had faced a quick, brutal justice, but it still did nothing to right what had been done to her. He could definitely understand why she would be more hostile towards humans after such an incident. Omar only hoped that she would get better from whatever the illness was that she was experiencing.

— — — — —

 **Krystal**

— — — — —

"Alright you two, dinner is ready." The older water-type took had used her daughter's scalchops to cut the fish up, as it was far easier and more practical than using her seamitars to try and accomplish the task. Krystal quickly rinsed them off in the river before returning to the two samurotts. They each began to eat, and it didn't take long for conversation to break out.

"So," the older water-type said, "you've been spending an awful lot of time near the woods." Krystal's sister looked up at her questioningly.

"Were you watching me?" she asked.

"No, Daughter. I trust you to make wise decisions enough to not need to stalk you. But I couldn't help but notice that you were swimming eastward over the last week."

"Yeah, well… I met someone there."

"You did? Really?"

"Yes. He's an arcanine, and he's really nice, actually. I think you'd like him."

"I see. Well, you are of age to make decisions on this matter on your own. I just ask that you make sure he is the one before engaging in any serious activity," the older samurott said.

"Of course. I would never do such a thing without being sure."

"Good. And Little One, your human friend - is everything still well there?"

"Yes, Mom. Omar would never do anything to upset me, so you don't have to worry about him."

"I understand. It is good you met a friend, despite him being human. I'm just glad that you managed to find one that doesn't wish to enslave you or worse. I do not intend to pry, but I cannot help but worry about you two girls. You two are my entire world."

"We understand," the younger samurott said, "and love you all the more for it." The oldest of the water-types had finished eating, though not as much as she usually did. She stood up and headed over to the water, where she took a drink before returning towards the large nest. "Going to sleep already? It's not even that dark out."

"Yes. This cough has me a bit drained as of lately. You two need not come to rest with me yet, but I ask that you keep the noise down."

"Of course, Mom," Krystal said. The samurott smiled at her two daughters before lying down quietly.

Once her mother had drifted off, the dewott helped clear away the mess from their dinner. She took the entrails of the fish over towards the edge of their island. Being about ten feet above the surface, they had no need to fear the rising tide, but she still had to keep conscious to do this in an area that the water level would never touch. Finding another good location, she continued this little project that she'd had going ever since Omar had told her about it. She dug a small hole about two feet from the previous one, dropping a persim berry inside and placing the guts on top, before covering it up.

Funnily enough, it had taken a human to tell her about some of the agricultural tendencies of pokémon for her to learn of this process. But it was a great idea, and already she had several small bushes growing. In time, they would be a nice treat for the trio, though definitely not enough to feed them on their own.

Her sister silently trotted beside her, resting on her haunches, her head level with one of the plants. "They are coming along nicely, Sister."

"Thanks. Omar told me about it, actually."

"You and that human," she mumbled.

"Hey! He's great - you know that."

"Oh I know. I'm only teasing you," the samurott said.

"Anyways, how's your new friend?"

"His name is Samson. A real sweet guy, too. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm interested."

"Really? Well in that case, I'm happy for you." Krystal wished that she was as bold as her sister, who could easily talk with just about anyone. But the dewott, on the other hand, was jumpy and shy around anyone that wasn't her immediate family - even Omar, who she had now been seeing for over two years. She had hoped that it would get better, but it was clear that things weren't about to change. Her sister must have recognized her look of dismay, as she received a gentle nuzzle to her cheek.

"Hey now, it will be alright. I know you will find someone in time - someone deserving of you. You just have to meet some people, that's all. I spoke with Samson because we just so happened to pass each other when I went to collect some wild mint, and we've been seeing each other ever since. Life can just be funny like that at times."

"Wait… I didn't think to ask, but why does he have a name?" Most pokémon that didn't live with humans lacked names, including Krystal's very own sister and mother.

"He had a trainer once, and he's kept the name ever since."

"Oh… that makes sense." Though she did have a few questions as to why a trained pokémon was living in the wild, but she supposed that could be asked at a later time. "Thank you for cheering me up, Sis."

"That's what I'm here for."

After a few more words between the two of them, the samurott joined their mother in the nest, leaving Krystal to her own thoughts once again. She looked out over the lake, knowing that tomorrow would be one of the days that she saw Omar. Krystal often wondered what his den had looked like in the midst of all those massive pillars that stretched into the sky. Or rather, his dens, as he apparently had two separate ones - one with each parent, each of which no longer resided with the other. _Humans are weird…_

But that didn't change the fact that she loved seeing him. Even though she was still bashful around him, his laid-back and gentle demeanor made her feel as though she wasn't an inconvenience. That was a feeling that she couldn't help but experience even here of all places, with the two samurotts doing all the hunting for them.

Once the moon had risen well into the sky, she decided to call it a night and headed over towards the two sleeping samurotts. She smiled upon seeing that her sister had left a tiny gap between herself and their mother, which Krystal loved. Stealthily slipping between the two of them, the dewott rested on her belly, and it wasn't long before she joined them.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

Towards the end of his junior year of high school, Omar found himself in the general pharmacy a block away from the pokémon center. None of this would have been possible had it not been for his insurance, nor for the fact that the lady working there had helped him with an illegitimate prescription out of her pity for the samurott's situation. Everyone that knew of the situation felt similarly. Once he'd run some of the symptoms by his brother, who relayed them to a friend of his in pre-med, it wasn't difficult to figure out. The weight loss and troubles with eating - the coughing up blood - it all pointed to one thing: tuberculosis.

The disease struck an uncomfortable feeling to everyone that knew of the samurott. Tuberculosis wasn't really a threat within the city. It was virtually nonexistent throughout the civilized world, and in the off chance that one got it, there were always treatment options that ensured survival. But in the wild, that was an entirely different story.

Omar nodded when he approached the pharmacist, and she went about getting his bag, having become used to his order. Every month had been the same three medications, and it cost about Ᵽ200 each time he came in for a refill. But that was something that he could manage easily, had it not been for one other factor. In her illness, Krystal's mother had become unable to hunt for fish. That was his next stop, one he made every single day now. He purchased them wholesale at the western ports, being the only way he could afford to feed the pair. Krystal didn't require a whole lot, but a two-hundred pound samurott was a different story. That is, when she could keep food down. But he had done the best he could for both of them over the last months, and with help from the dewott's sister, they were able to feed the two. He felt bad for her, too, as she was trying to tend to her mother's needs, all while raising a family of her own.

Seeing his devotion to the issue at hand, Omar's parents each decided that he was more than capable of keeping a pokémon of his own. But that would have to wait until the samurott improved. As of now, he couldn't afford it, with Ᵽ500 a month and nothing to show for it by the time he had finished taking care of the two water-types.

Once he had purchased the five-pound fish - a small blackfin tuna on this particular day - from the docks, he set it in the cooler that he used each day for the same purpose before waiting for the next bus.

He just wished that she would come in and accept the help of the pokémon center. There were a lot of people who were willing to pitch in and help her if she just allowed them to do so. But Krystal had been having the same conversation with her time and time again, and it didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

The bus stopped, snapping him out of his thoughts. It seemed like on some days, he was zoning out like this a lot. After having finished work, he would make this stop, just as he had the past six months. While his friends were using their money to save up for cars, or college, or going out and having a good time in general, he was providing for two pokémon that weren't even his. To think that he'd been at this for half a year, and yet he had never even seen the samurott in person… Omar walked the remaining way towards Lake Adira, now knowing the area like the back of his hand.

As usual, when he approached the lake, Krystal hurriedly walked out, and he quickly set his things down, embracing her as she slammed into him, the empty pill box in her paw. "Hey… it's okay…"

"No…" she said with a whimper, "it isn't. She's… gotten worse. Please tell me…"

"I've got them right here," he said gently. Omar released her and pulled the small paper bag out of his backpack. Since her species lacked the digits to open the medicine containers, he had to disperse each pill throughout the small box so that the samurott took the exact ones she needed each day.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. "I can't ever repay you for all that you've done for us…"

"You don't have to," Omar said. "But… aside from the meds and the food, there isn't anything else I _can_ do. She needs to come in…"

"I know… I tell her every night…"

"Still no luck?" he asked. "Why would she just sit there and grow weaker? She's willing to accept human medicine, but not direct care? They would have fixed everything." The idea that the samurott could still be refusing such a proposition was beyond him.

"She's… she's stubborn. I just don't know what to say at this point. She's heard it all before." Krystal had been doing her best to convince her mother to get past her hatred of humans, if not only for her own wellbeing.

"Please… you've gotta get it across that this doesn't ever work out well for people who don't get treatment. The meds help, but… if she's getting worse, then it's not enough. She needs to get _actual_ help. These pills aren't cutting it."

"You don't have to tell me…" Krystal sat in his lap, and looking back, he couldn't help but think about how massive a change it was from where they started. But that was to be expected given everything that had happened.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting help. I mean, hell, if you hadn't helped me back then, I wouldn't be here now. We can't do it on our own all the time. I just hope she comes to realize that."

"Me too…"

For what seemed like hours, she sat there, and he lovingly pet her. But as much as neither of them wanted to part, they both needed to be somewhere. Krystal stood up, still on top of him, and hugged him tightly. A light nuzzle against his cheek, and Omar returned suit, rubbing her back as she embraced him. Krystal eventually released her hold, much to both of their disappointment, and hopped off. Omar got back onto his feet, then made his way to the cooler.

"Got a blackfin today." They were one of her favorites, after all. He'd come to learn that after nearly half a year of this routine.

"Thank you, Omar…" He gently set the fish in her arms, and she backed away, neither of them wanting to part. But they would see each other soon enough.

"I'll seeya tomorrow, Krystal. Tell your mom what all I said…"

"Of course."

Omar left, knowing that she would likely engage in the same argument, only to reach the same outcome. He just couldn't understand why the samurott wouldn't back down. This wasn't a fight that she was going to win - if her condition was worsening, even with the effects of medication, then she would die from this. Tuberculosis was a large threat to pokémon in the wild, and all she had to do was just come into the city for some time, and they would take care of everything at the pokécenter.

Well, that's the way it would've worked. Truth be told, he wasn't so sure that she may have pushed it too far, in which case there wouldn't be anything that could be done to save her.

— — — — —

 **Krystal**

— — — — —

"This is ridiculous, Mom! You'll sit here and wither away when they're willing to treat you! Are you kidding me?" Krystal's sister asked. The four of them had been at this time and time again, but never this heated. Krystal felt powerless between the two samurotts, though one of them hardly had the strength to swim at this point. Samson seemed to be in a similar predicament to the dewott.

"I don't care!" the older samurott said. "I swore that I would never step foot in that city again after what they did to me!"

"Arceus' sake, Mom! Those guys are all dead!"

"If I may…" Samson stepped in, "you know that I had a trainer once, too, right? I can assure you that none of the humans that I ever met were like that."

"Are you implying that I am a liar?"

"No, no! Not at all! I'm just… they aren't all like that. Not at all. In fact, most of them will treat you as part of their family," he said. Despite the strength of his species, the arcanine looked powerless against the stubborn samurott, even in her illness.

"Really? Then why did you leave?"

"Because my trainer was killed in a car accident, and his family did not have the resources to take care of me. I still visit them, though. They're not all bad, I'm telling you…"

"Well you didn't see them like I did," the water-type said. "The things they were willing to put others through for the sake of money… and they used to be such a minority, too! But they took over the world it seems, and over the countless bodies of our kind!"

"Are you kidding me right now?" Krystal's sister asked. "That was a long time ago! None of the humans around are responsible for such a thing! They punish one another just the same for killing one of us as they would a human. You're just using whatever reason you can at this point to avoid them! And for someone who hates their kind so much, you seem to have no issue living off of one's generosity! If it wouldn't be for that boy, you would be dead now!"

"I of all people do not need reminding of that…" the other samurott stated bitterly.

"Well then what gives? You seem to think he's the only good one out there. This is just foolish, and you _know_ that!" Though Krystal's mother didn't want to admit it, there was no denying that point any longer. Krystal had begged her to make the better decision, but she lacked the fierce demeanor that her sister had. And though she loved her mother, the younger of the two samurotts wasn't about to back down.

"Mom… please…" Krystal said quietly. "I'm begging you… Omar has offered countless times to take us there himself. He would never do anything to wrong you…" Her mother looked down upon her, and then went to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she sharply turned her head to the side, and a weak fit of coughing ensued. Nobody could ignore the drops of blood that had been sprayed upon the grass.

"Just look at yourself," the dewott's sister stated. "Do not delay this any further. You either go with him and get some real medical treatment, or you keep at this until you die. And by Arceus, you better not make that second choice."

Once her sister and the arcanine had left to tend to their own three children, Krystal remained there on the small island with her mother. The samurott sat there, clearly deep in thought about the conversation, but unwilling to talk about the matter at hand any further. _Why must she be so stubborn?_ Krystal thought. She watched the larger water-type's chest rise and fall with strained breaths, even fighting the inevitable as she slept.

The dewott curled up against her mother's side, hoping that sleep would soon reach her. But there was no ignoring the fact that she was scared. It had gotten worse to the point where she didn't understand how anyone could even be alive in such a state. Through what had once been a thick layer of muscle, Krystal could see ribs. _She… she looks like death itself…_ She could only pray that the samurott would come to her senses before the wretched illness claimed her life.

 **. . . . .**

Her favorite part of the day now having past, Krystal swam back home with another fish gripped gently in her mouth. Omar had become a vital part of her life, and the two of them hated being apart. For him, it meant going back to trying to balance out school and work just so that he could support her family. But for Krystal, it meant being away from the one friend she had so that she could watch her mother further deteriorate.

She reached the small island, and the samurott was sitting there, staring silently at the lake, not even noticing as Krystal approached. She set the fish down on the stone slab, and her mother looked at her weakly. The dewott hated nothing more than seeing her in such a state, but she had no idea what to say anymore. It had been over a week after the argument with her sister, and the only indication that the samurott was budging from her position was the fact that she said she would 'consider it.' But the disease within her wasn't going to wait for her to make that decision.

Krystal absentmindedly watched the process as the fish was prepared, the scales being discarded to the side with the head, organs and tail. Once the raw meat had been separated, the samurott dabbed it with a little bit of rosemary for flavor. It was a great touch, in Krystal's opinion, and the spice always reminded her of home.

"It's ready, Little One," her mother said, doing her best to sound cheery. There was no amount of effort, though, that would've suggested that to be the case. Wordlessly, Krystal took her smaller portion, not feeling particularly hungry, but nibbling at the fish anyways. "How was your friend today?"

"Hmm?" Krystal asked.

"The human you meet with. How was he?"

"Oh, Omar. And he was fine. Kinda tired today…"

"I see."

"But that's just because he got off work." The dewott laughed at the thought, despite their situation. "You know, Mom, it's kinda funny. Almost three years ago, I saved him from drowning, and he went and became a lifeguard of all things…"

"That is interesting," the samurott stated.

"Yeah. Now he's doing a pretty good job of saving the two of us right about now… There's no way that Sis would've been able to pull through with both us and her own kids."

"Omar seems to be a kind one. If only he wasn't a human, he would have made a fine choice for a mate."

"M-Mom!"

"Relax yourself, child. I was only thinking aloud. But it is not something to be concerned with. He is human, and that is that."

"But… why don't you like them? I know that the men who took you… they were evil. Most humans are fine, though…" She didn't understand where this hatred had come from.

"I do not expect you to understand. He is the only one I trust you with simply because of the fact that he is a harmless boy, and he has done a great deal for us. But I have seen trainers, young and old alike, yelling or hitting our kind for something as petty as losing a little bit of money. Greed is imprinted upon their very souls. That is why I dislike them. The ones who took me are proof of how far some of them will go."

"But you just said _some_ of them. You know that those aren't the only ones! And when Omar and I have been out in the park, we've seen so many trainers loving our kind! You can't just let the bad ones define your view of their entire species!" She was almost sounding like her sister, now, likely to the samurott's annoyance. "But you _know_ that Omar isn't like that. He spends everything he earns to help _us_ , and he gets _nothing_ in return. That is not greed." Her mother remained silent, looking at the much smaller water-type.

" _He_ is good-hearted. I know that much," her mother whispered.

"Yes, and he's not the only one! They aren't that different from us, I'm telling you! Not all of them want money, or power, or… whatever - it's just that there's no reason for you to sit here and… and…" Krystal began to tear up, and before she knew it, she hugged her mother's head against her chest, sobbing softly. "Please!" she whimpered. "Please, Mom! I don't… want you to die!"

For a moment, neither of them said anything as Krystal cried. But eventually, she felt a single paw on her back. Her mother nuzzled her tenderly, giving her the little bit of affection she could physically muster.

"I… I am sorry," the samurott stated. "I never meant to hurt you girls. You two are the only thing I have in this world, and my greatest joy in life. I suppose… if _he_ is with us… then I will go." Krystal looked at her in shock, and a wide smile stretched across her face.

"Th-thank you!" she shrieked. "We… we need to see Omar tomorrow! He always comes to the dock, and he can have us in the pokémon center in no time at all!"

"Alright then. Your sister can help me get to the shore. But I swear, if any other humans try to capture either of us…"

"Trust me, Omar would never let anything like that happen. And besides, nobody would ever do such a thing in public." The dewott couldn't be happier right now. Her prayers had been answered, and her mother had finally come to her senses about the issue. Words simply couldn't express how much of a relief it was. _Omar is gonna be so surprised tomorrow!_ He would undoubtedly be willing to make the accommodations - he had mentioned that he had the ball ready just for this very purpose. Once she had been treated thoroughly, he would smash it, and this whole thing would be behind them.

"Thank you, Little One, for always having my back." The samurott lovingly nuzzled her daughter, who returned suit.

"Of course, Mom. I love you…"

"And I you. Now let us rest. Something tells me that we'll have a long day tomorrow…"

She fell asleep soon after, leaving the dewott to look up at the night sky, listening to her mother's labored breathing. But she knew that this would be the last night of that. Tomorrow, they were going to start the process of making everything better. _Thank you, Omar…_

It didn't take long for Krystal to join the samurott in rest, pressed against her side.

 **. . . . .**

The morning sun woke her, with Krystal having rested better than she had in a long time. Of course, until the disease was completely gone, she would still worry, but she could sleep soundly knowing that her mother was finally making the right decision. She rubbed her eyes, deciding that today of all days, it would be best not to sleep in. Though on the other hand, it wasn't like there was a whole lot that they could do until Omar showed up.

Krystal eventually decided to get up, despite the comfort of the situation. She would collect several of the berries from her small garden, which would make for a good morning snack for the both of them. She was about to head off, before a wide grin appeared on her face, and she gently hugged against her mother's side. She remained there for a moment, listening for the heartbeat that had comforted her so many times as a child.

But there was none.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

He had waited and waited, but for some reason, Krystal hadn't shown up today. It had been the first time in awhile, and he was beginning to worry. Maybe they had managed to catch a fish on her own today? But then again, she had visited him daily well before he had started bringing them food. _Jeez, dude… you're starting to act all clingy…_ And he wasn't trying to, but he couldn't help it at the same time. It wasn't a medicine day yet, so all he was hoping to drop off would be the fish that he'd just purchased, but it looked like nobody was coming. _Well, at least it's in ice…_

Deciding to return the following day, Omar left the park, still hoping that he'd make it back in time to catch the bus. _It just isn't like her,_ he kept thinking. Had she had something planned, she would have let him know ahead of time, rather than having him wait around for nearly two hours. He just hoped that everything was okay.

Once he'd walked into his father's house, it was well past dinnertime. Sergio and Victor both were in the living room, watching the television. But upon seeing his younger brother walk in, Sergio immediately muted it, and both of them looked at Omar questioningly.

"What gives? It's almost ten…" Sergio stated.

"I know. Krystal didn't show up, so I was kinda waiting out there for some time," he replied.

"How is her situation?" his father asked.

"From what I heard last, she and her sister were still trying to convince their mom to come to the pokémon center," Omar replied. "Anyways, that's why I still have this fish on me…"

"Yeah, keep that outside please. Don't want my house stinking," Victor said. "Anyways, dinner's in the fridge."

"Thanks."

Though food really wasn't the main thing on his mind right now. Omar barely even tasted it, his mind still swarming with thoughts about the dewott. Funnily enough, it seemed like his entire life revolved around her. But he didn't have a problem with that - not for someone like her, at least.

All there was to do, then, was try again tomorrow, and be ready to support Krystal as needed.

 **. . . . .**

Looking back, he remembered every single tiny detail of that day. He'd gotten dressed - jeans and a striped t-shirt - and headed down to the gas station, buying a new bag of ice after the one from yesterday had fully melted. He went to work, as it was on a Saturday, changing into his bathing suit and mostly surfing the web while everyone swam. It hadn't been a very eventful day, but he still could recollect all that had happened. After all, it was the day that everything changed.

Once he had finished work, Omar changed back into his clothes and slung his backpack over his shoulder, grabbing the cooler on his way out. The day seemed fine enough, with the temperature slightly warm and not a cloud in sight. Since he'd left a bit earlier than usual, and the bus wouldn't be ready by the time he arrived at the station, he cut through the small local market in the backroads of the city just to kill some time. Both pokémon and humans filled the area, and the crowd was a bit large, but it was exciting nonetheless to look around.

But any feeling of joy died once he'd arrived at Lake Adira. A samurott's head was poking out of the water by the docks, and he curiously approached. _That's weird…_ That wasn't exactly the company he was expecting, but seeing as to how they weren't exactly common around these parts, it was clear that this one was related to Krystal. His thoughts were confirmed when the dewott swiftly paddled towards him. The second she emerged from the water, though, it was clear that something was wrong. She was crying.

His heart sunk, and the cooler fell to the ground as she ran up to him. He listened as she wailed, unable to form comprehensive words, and Omar hugged her tightly against him. The samurott was doing her best to keep it together, and he began to connect the dots. _No… please don't tell me…_

"Sh-she… Mom…"

"I… I'm so sorry…" Omar said quietly. Though he had done all that he could have, he still felt as though he failed her. He held the dewott for dear life.

"S-she was… g-gonna come in!" Krystal sobbed.

He lost track of time, and the two of them remained there, him doing his best to comfort her, but unable to keep the tears from falling himself. It wasn't fair at all - to be that close, and for everything to take a turn for the worst.

"You two… are all I h-have left…" Omar clutched her against his chest, and the samurott had made her way out of the water, joining them on the shoreline. The large water-type had also failed to refrain from showing her emotions, and to anyone that would have passed by, unaware as to what had happened, the three of them would have looked pathetic.

"I will always… be here for you," he said quietly as she burrowed into his neck. "Anything you need at all…" Though there was nothing he could do about the matter, other than to support her as much as he could in her time of grief.

— — — — —

 **Krystal**

— — — — —

He did his best to do just that over the next two weeks. Omar ended up being at Lake Adira more often than he was at work, or even his own home. She would be there waiting on him, and sometimes her sister would even join. He would hold her as they talked, and Krystal would go on and on about whatever would come to mind. But the conversations would always gravitate back towards her mother, and the tears would start once again. Every time, he would hold her and rub her back as she cried into his shirt.

Each morning, she'd wake up, not understanding why the samurott wasn't in the nest. But then the reality would come crashing down, and she'd run off into the water, hoping that Omar would be on that shoreline to help console her. Krystal's sister was dealing with it the best way she knew how, which was to avoid talking about the matter altogether, though the dewott knew from their previous conversation that she was equally as heartbroken.

 _She… she's really gone…_ she kept having to say to herself. All this time, and now the samurott was no more. It was something that she would have to adjust to, and tragically so at that. A pain unlike any other had started within her chest, a result from the emotional trauma, and she wanted nothing more than to just crawl back to her mother one more time. To tell her how much she loved her, and how she missed her. But she would never have that opportunity again in this life.

It was not something that she could get over, nor would she ever be able to do so. Death may have been the natural way of things, but it was not something she could easily deal with. Her mother had been kind and caring, showering both her daughters with an unconditional love. And now… The dewott shook her head, tears forming once again.

Omar was walking towards the dock, a plastic bag in hand, and Krystal sped towards him. The human joined her on the ground, and she in turn sat on his leg, placing her head against his chest. "Are you doing alright today?" he asked.

"How could I be? My mom is…"

"I… I was hoping you were feeling a bit better…"

"I don't think I'll ever get 'better' - how could I?" she said with a sniff. Of course, he didn't have a response to that. It had been the question that she had tried to find an answer to ever since her mother's death.

"I guess… you can't ever really move on past all the pain, but… well, like I've said before - your sister and I are both here to help you out."

"You've helped me so much in the past," Krystal said. "I wouldn't be lying if I told you that you were my best friend. Well… my only friend, but I care for you greatly. There's nothing you can do about this, though…" Well, that wasn't entirely true, as she and her sister had discussed a few nights before.

"Well I'm here to try. I did bring lunch, if you'd like to eat." Perhaps the meal would help to take her mind off of things. That and she was hungry, having been far to miserable to eat most days. But whatever he'd purchased smelled really good, and she nodded. "Good. I stopped by a cafeteria on my way up here. I heard that they made a really good fish pakora, so I got you that." He opened the white container, and she looked at it curiously.

"That's… fish?" she asked. The meat was in round pieces, each coated with a red powder of some sort.

"Yeah, they fry it. I didn't think about that, actually - you've never had it fried before. Well, I'm sure you'll like it." She grabbed a piece and looked at it, before taking an experimental bite. More flavors than she had ever imagined flooded her taste buds, and instantly she loved it. "Guess that answers that question," Omar said as she took a much larger bite, finishing the piece altogether. He took a bite of his own meal, which was probably the most bizarre food item she'd ever seen before.

"What… is that?"

"It's a burger. They're really good, but it's a totally different type of meat. It comes from a cow instead."

"Really? Why would anyone wanna eat that?"

"It's actually really good. Try it." He held the burger to where she could take a bite, and she sniffed it before doing just that. She chewed it slowly. It was… different. There was something kinda red coming out from it that tasted pretty good, but as for the meat itself, she much rather preferred to stick to her own.

"Mmm, not my favorite," she said.

"Yeah, I could tell that by the way your face scrunched up," he said with a grin. "Anyways, don't forget dessert." She hadn't noticed it before, but there was a chocolate bar in the bag - the same exact brand that he'd gotten for her all these years. She smiled back, and the two of them continued to eat. Throughout their meal, though, Krystal's mind was racing. He must have realized, too, as he set the half-eaten burger down. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said, taking another bite of the fish. "I'm just thinking…"

"What about?" She made eye contact.

"I… I get why you returned the first time, but… why have you kept coming back these three years?" He flashed her a puzzled expression, clearly taken back by the question.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Did you… feel like you owed me something?" Krystal asked.

"Well… I mean I kinda wanted to tell you how grateful I was. But I wanted to come see you…"

"Why though? Why would you want to come see me?"

"What kind of a question is that? Who wouldn't want to see you? You're an awesome person, and I… right from the start, I knew that I wanted to know you better. You ended up becoming my best friend, and now I can't even imagine a life without you in the picture." _He… really?_ Then maybe that little question in the back of her mind might be worth asking. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I just… I guess I was curious…"

"What's going on, Krystal? You know you can tell me what's up." She looked at him, unsure whether or not to say it. But as uncertain as she was about the issue at hand, she figured that she might as well go for it.

"Well… my sister and I were talking the other day. She has a mate and two children of her own, now, and… she's been taking care of me. We are… both of the same age, but I am poor at hunting, combat… really, just about everything. I can't allow her to worry herself with her pathetic sister while she tries to maintain her own family…"

"First of all, I don't ever wanna hear you talk about yourself like that again. But what are you getting on about? If you can't hunt, then what's your plan?"

"I was thinking… maybe…" Now that she had actually gotten this far, Krystal had trouble getting the words out. "Maybe w-we could…"

"Of course, Krystal," he said, much to her surprise. "I've always loved our time together, and you have always been welcome at my place." She hugged him tightly, forgetting that her paws were coated with the powdered seasoning, which was now on his shirt. "I mean, if that's what you were going for, that is…"

"…I-It was," she said timidly.

"To be honest with you, I was kinda thinking the same thing. But I didn't want to say anything about it. I mean… it wouldn't have been the time at all…" She couldn't help but smile, happy beyond words. At least one thing had gone right…

"Does… it require one of those balls?" the dewott asked.

"Well, kinda… I mean I'd definitely think that it's best to have a ball for you. But I'd never really have you in it. Most trainers only use 'em in emergencies."

"I see," Krystal said quietly. "My sister and I… we talked for several hours two nights ago - about this. I… could we visit her often?"

"Well yeah. I'm not gonna take you off to some secluded part of the city and separate you from your family. You're free to come and go as you see fit. I think you've got a misunderstanding of what trainers are like. Y'all aren't prisoners," he joked.

"That's good to hear." She had finished the rest of her food, and she set the light box over to the side. The water-type just hoped that she wasn't too much of a bother to her new trainer, being that he'd be more or less completely providing for her. "…Thank you Omar. For everything. I just wish… that I had some way to repay you for all that you've done…"

"Aw, you just being in my life is payment enough," he said with a laugh. "I'm glad I've got a friend like you, Krystal." The two of them hugged, to which the dewott nuzzled him appreciatively. Throughout all this, he had been her base of support - her shoulder to cry on. He had already done so much for her, and she was grateful that Arceus had given her such a friend.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

Looking back, all of it seemed so long ago. Now he was nineteen and living on his own. Well, him and Krystal, of course. She had stuck at his side ever since then, and the two had become nearly inseparable. Both of them had grown a little more, too. He was now six feet tall and around a hundred eighty pounds, and she had become quite large for a dewott, though he attributed that to her near-inability to evolve. She was almost 3'4, making her about seventy pounds in weight.

He was still working at Silverridge Resort at this point, making nearly twenty an hour. While it wasn't what many would consider a major career choice, it paid enough for the two of them to be comfortable and rent an apartment in an area that was safe. It was a good thing that a dewott didn't cost a whole lot to take care of.

The pool was fairly large for a private one. It had a very amorphous shape to it, with three major sections branching outwards. One of them was only four feet deep for people who mainly wanted to fool around, and out towards the center, the depth reached five and a half feet. One of the other three sections was separated off, with a small set of fountains shooting upwards. Over there, the water level was merely eighteen inches deep, being a section for the children to play. More often than not, if he needed to jump in, that would be where it occurred.

The resort was definitely intended for wealthier guests, as one could easily tell upon seeing it. The pool area was always kept immaculate, and the stone used for much of the construction was smooth granite. The one other staff member that was generally working was Bryce, who ran the outdoor bar, which doubled as a grill. That seemed to be more of an attraction than the pool. In that area also happened to be several wooden tables, each with large umbrellas overhead.

The job itself was easy enough, too. He mainly needed to be ready in the case that someone needed help, which actually wasn't all that often in his experience. He'd done numerous different rescues over the years and had received his certification in CPR, and there hadn't been any cases on his watch in which an ambulance was needed. And to think that it had all started with him nearly drowning himself. It was a funny thought, but it was true nonetheless. Omar had wanted to help out others similarly to how Krystal had helped him. And speaking of the dewott…

She was reclined back in the beach chair, sitting quietly in the shade. Her eyes having been closed for about thirty minutes now, and Omar assumed that she had drifted off. He was glad that his boss had allowed him to bring Krystal along for his shifts. While he wasn't allowed to really speak with her much while on the clock, as it could distract him from his duty as a lifeguard, it still helped him feel not as alone.

As for her wellbeing, Krystal had coped with the death of her mother as one would expect. It had been about two years since, and the breakdowns had become pretty infrequent. It still struck a painful cord within her, but the dewott was doing a lot better than she had been when they had first partnered up. He could remember holding her on the bed as she cried, and those were times that the both of them likely wished that they could forget. But it was all in the past now.

Omar quickly looked over the resort's pool, finding there to be only three people swimming. Just about everyone that came to Silverridge was pretty well-off, and his services were very rarely used. Generally it was a child that fell in due to a parent not watching them well enough. But today had been a pretty uneventful day. Though the temperature was fine for such an activity, it seemed that nobody really wanted to go swimming. Of course, he was completely fine with that.

Krystal shifted onto her side, and her eyes slowly opened. The trainer stared at the dewott's sleek form while she yawned. "Did you have a nice nap?" he asked.

"No, not really," she mumbled. "I couldn't get comfortable."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, luckily for you, our couch is waiting for us. About time to go."

"Thankfully," she said, before sitting up. He had to admit, she looked a little silly in the small sunglasses she wore. They were meant for a human child, but she had taken to wearing them, which he thought was adorable. A dewott wearing bright pink sunglasses, complete with cheap plastic diamonds on the side. She must have noticed his goofy smile. "Hey, my shades are fine!"

"Oh I know. Anything you'd wear would be fine." She looked away timidly, then grabbed the decorative pillow from the chair and tossed it at him. He laughed, then scooped her up in his arms. "Silly little girl."

"Not so little anymore," she replied, but ended up nuzzling his cheek affectionately. With everything that had happened between the two of them, Omar couldn't imagine life without her now. That hadn't stopped him from wishing that their partnership had occurred under more ideal circumstances, but there was no changing that anymore. He was just glad that she seemed to be dealing with it better.

What had begun to confuse him, however, was the dewott's mannerisms. Over the past couple of months, these gestures had become the norm for them. Not that he was complaining - far from it, actually. He found it rather sensual, and enjoyable at that, but he couldn't help but wonder why the amount of these affectionate actions had begun to increase.

"You know, I think we should do something tonight," he stated.

"L-like what?"

"I dunno, you pick. We could make fish if you'd like."

"Ohh, I like the sound of that. Maybe some salmon and a movie?" she asked. "That's always nice…"

"Whatever you say, Krystal." He tapped her lightly on the nose, causing the water-type to giggle. "Arceus, I love hearing you laugh." She assumed her shy demeanor once again, but he wasn't having it. "Aww, wasn't trying to make you feel embarrassed or anything. You're just too damn cute."

"S-stop it…"

"Mkay."

With his shift over, Omar packed up his stuff and put his shirt back on, before switching up with his replacement - a guy by the name of Jared. With Krystal eagerly following behind, the two of them got into his car and left.

While he was driving to the grocery store, Omar had thought back to the times where he'd walk in to get the pills, before making the trip to the port. He just felt sorry that he couldn't have done more. If only the samurott had reached her resolve just a few days earlier. Perhaps they could have saved her. But there was nothing they could do now.

Once they pulled into the parking lot, Omar stepped out, and Krystal followed quickly behind, hopping out his side. He began running through the few items they'd need, both for dinner and around the house in general. Fortunately, he had partnered up with a pokémon that didn't require much in the way of provisions, which was why he was able to afford it. He had no clue how career trainers were able to do it. _Especially for those 400 pound dragons…_

Then again, he would hardly consider himself a trainer. Krystal hadn't battled a single time since she'd been with him, as she didn't seem to like it. He didn't have a problem with that, though, since he never wanted her around for that purpose. No, they were with one another because they were friends, not for fighting.

She perked up upon reaching the deli, standing as tall as possible to try and see the various fish. He laughed, seeing as to how she was still a good foot or so away from being able to do that. "Come here." He hoisted her up by her waist, hugging her against his chest.

"That one," she said, pointing to the front slab of salmon. It looked to be around a pound, so that would run him about Ᵽ20. Fortunately they had the spices and other ingredients for the meal already at the house. Omar signaled the deli worker - Mr. Carter - who approached the pair, knowing them quite well after all this time.

"What'll it be today?" he asked. The man was in his sixties and had worked in this store ever since it was built. Omar had known him ever since his parents took him shopping here, and surely it must have been interesting for the older man to have watched the boy grow up and start his own life.

"That slab of salmon right there," Omar said, pointing to the one that Krystal had indicated. He wrapped it up within the plastic package before setting it on the counter.

"Well alright then. You two take care, now. Come see me again."

It wasn't long before they had left the store, both of them anticipating the night to come.

— — — — —

 **Krystal**

— — — — —

The dewott sat on the couch beside her trainer, having finished her meal already. Not that she had really been able to savor it, much to her sadness. But her thoughts had been running rampant lately, and she could already tell that it was going to be one of those nights. Krystal sighed quietly, trying to make it seem as though she were paying attention to the movie. In reality, though, the only thing on her mind was Omar's little action from earlier.

While he was preparing dinner, she had been watching and pitching in where she could. But one thing had led to another, and they were talking over just a few of their happy times, and laughing, and… She had hugged him, and he responded with a quick peck to her head. It was something that he'd done several times in the past, and each time she tried to act as though it wasn't a big deal. After all, it was very common for trainers to have such gestures with their pokémon - even disregarding the gender of both. But she wished desperately that it there was more to it than just that.

It had taken her some time to come to the realization. At first, she had fought against it. What would her mother have thought? What would her sister think? And it just seemed so… weird. And yet despite all that, she still knew how she felt. The samurott had stated that he would have been a prime candidate for a mate had he not been human, but at this point, Krystal couldn't care less. He had devoted everything he could into helping them out in their time of need, and despite all that had happened, not once had Omar ever asked for anything in return.

When she had devoted serious thought to it, Krystal found herself unable to come up with any other explanation. The way he spoke to her, looked at her… how he held her close. Even now, she was experiencing that, trying to play everything off as though she weren't about to lose her mind. The two of them were laying on the couch, and he had an arm around her, hugging her against himself. It had been something that they'd done for awhile, but now that she knew of these feelings…

And to make matters worse, there was absolutely nothing she could do about the matter. Every time she even thought about bringing up the issue, she found herself nearly immobilized and unable to utter a single word. She was far too reserved to just go and say something like that.

The television had been nothing but background noise to her thoughts. _He… he takes care of everything… and I just sit here…_ She had felt bad about it in the past, but Omar had always assured her that it wasn't a problem - that her simply being there was payment enough. Of course, that answer only served to further convince her of these feelings. _Why can't this be easy?_ she thought to herself.

"You okay there, Krystal? You've been awful quiet…"

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just a bit tired." Of course, that wasn't the case at all. She hadn't really done much of anything all day aside from lounge around.

"Gotcha. Well, if you'd like, we could head to bed. Gettin' a bit sleepy myself."

"Th-that would be nice," she stuttered. Omar sat up, and as usual, lifted her up with him. The human hugged her against his chest as he walked back towards their bedroom. Of course, that only took a few seconds. Being in a city, the apartment was pretty small, but with just the two of them, they didn't exactly need much. He took her into the bathroom where the two of them brushed their teeth, then onto the bed.

At this point, the dewott always burrowed underneath the covers. Two years of being with him - and six of knowing him - and she still hadn't managed to get used to this part. But that didn't stop the human from draping an arm over her form, causing her cheeks to become warm. Their life together had been a complicated rollercoaster ride for her. He was always so sweet to her, and he didn't seem to have a mean streak in him at all. But then he'd go and do something like this, and the feelings would resurface once again. And to make matters worse, she had found herself unknowingly reciprocating the affections. Her mind and body were pulling her in two different directions; no doubt learning of his pokémon's feelings for him would cause a very strange tension between Omar and her.

So she had restrained from saying anything. Then again, it wasn't like she could manage to say anything to begin with. Krystal wished that she was more like her sister, who lacked these social fears completely. The samurott had been very successful in her own relationship, and part of the dewott envied her for that. Why hadn't she been able to evolve, or talk to others without the timidity of a pup? It just wasn't fair at all. Her entire life, she had felt like a parasite, living off of the goodwill of others, her family at first, and now Omar. But each time she had stated something along the lines of that idea, he would tell her that she was perfect, and the best part of his life. It made her want to act on her affections.

Krystal just wished that it would end. But she couldn't risk losing what they already had over what might not be. Most humans had really good bonds with their pokémon. But it was so much more than that to her, and that was perhaps what hurt the most about all of this.

Omar had already fallen asleep, and she shifted slightly closer. Well, so close and yet so far away. But this would have to do for now.

— — — — —

 **Omar**

— — — — —

The following day was far more eventful, but that was to be expected on a Saturday. The weekends always brought more people, and though Omar generally didn't work them, he was filling in for Jared, who usually had the Saturday shift. Not that he minded at all, as the overtime pay was pretty hard to turn down. Since there were a couple dozen people around the pool, he had to remain far more attentive to the crowd. He knew from personal experience that it only took a moment for something to go horribly wrong.

Krystal knew this, and she remained off to the side so as not to distract him. Of course, if someone was ever in danger, she would spring up and help wherever possible. But that didn't keep his mind from wandering back towards the dewott. She had been acting very strange as of lately. One minute they could be cuddling happily, and the next she would fall silent, assuming a far more shy demeanor. He'd be lying if he said he fully understood the water-type. But she was the greatest thing to happen to him, and he just wanted her to be happy. Though it definitely piqued his curiosity as to why she seemed to be acting so peculiar as of recently.

And had his job been more eventful, then perhaps he would have been able to keep his mind off the topic. But as a lifeguard, Omar basically needed to sit around all day with nothing to do just so he could be ready to intervene in the off chance that someone who couldn't swim fell into the pool. It was anything but a difficult work, but it surely wasn't active, either. Of course, there was his lunch break, in which everyone would need to get out of the pool for fifteen minutes. Maybe it would be worth bringing up the topic then. The last thing he wanted was for things to be awkward between the two of them.

Noon eventually rolled around, and as expected his services hadn't been needed. He blew the whistle, causing for everyone to get out of the pool, giving him the much appreciated lunch break. Krystal joined him at the bar, where the two of them ordered their respective meals. One of the perks of this job was the discount on the food, which the two of them definitely took advantage of. Once they had gotten their food, they headed over to one of the small, circular tables with a bright yellow umbrella overhead.

"Hey," Omar said, halfway through his meal, "I've kinda been thinking a bit. Is everything okay between the two of us?" She looked up at him questioningly.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I mean you've been acting a bit off, that's all. I just wanted to make sure everything's alright."

"Well… y-yeah. It's fine…" He definitely wasn't buying that, but he wasn't about to pressure her into an answer. Omar just wished that he knew whatever it was that was troubling her. He was her best friend, was he not? The dewott could trust him to help her however he could.

"Alright then. Just promise me you'll let me know if something's wrong?" he asked.

"S-sure thing…" Omar sighed inwardly, knowing that she was withholding something from him. He wasn't trying to pry in the slightest, but seeing her on edge like this was concerning him.

Once his lunch break was over, and several people were already pushing their luck, stepping into the pool without being told to, Omar left Krystal to herself, resuming his fairly uneventful job. He just hoped that whatever was troubling her would stop.

 **. . . . .**

Omar stood up, stretching out once his shift ended. Just as always, he was more than a little ready to clock out, and the next lifeguard had already arrived to take his place. The water-type also took notice of the time and had sprung to her feet as well, probably feeling the same way.

But he had something else in mind aside from just leaving. All sorts of events went on within the resort on Saturdays. Sometimes there were tournaments, even, and those were always entertaining. Other than that, there were several great dining facilities, each of which he got the same discount at. Maybe having a little bit of fun was what she needed. The dewott trotted up to his side near the gate towards the resort, looking at him inquisitively. Usually they exited out the other side, after all.

"What do you say to sticking around for a few hours? Maybe just see what's going on inside?"

"Oh, uh… okay then."

"You don't seem too sure," Omar replied.

"No, it's just… what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I dunno. We don't always have to have a plan, right?"

"I guess not."

Aside from the filled parking lot, cars were surrounding the resort, letting him know that something was going on here for sure. He generally never kept up with Silverridge's events, but this certainly had his curiosity piqued. "Wonder what's going on in there…"

"It… looks like a lot of people…" she murmured. At first, she had disliked large crowds of people, but after all this time, she was able to manage it, so long as he was with her. But being on her own in the midst of great amounts of people had made her anxious a time or two in the past when one of them had accidentally wandered off.

"Hey, I'm right here," he said, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

Once they'd entered the side of the building, it didn't take long to figure out what all the commotion was about. People were lined up towards the arena, leading him to believe that it was something battle-related. The double doors were held open, and people had filled up nearly every seat inside of the facility.

"Hey there, mind telling me what's going on?" Omar asked a blonde woman in her forties.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard," she replied.

"Yeah, me too, considering I work here," he said with a laugh.

"Well, the champion has come for a visit. A few of the local trainers are battling him in six one-on-one matches. I was able to book my tickets about a week ago."

"Oh, I see. I wish I'd have known about it - I might've bought two myself. It's always fun to watch Leo's pokémon go at it."

"Of course," the woman said with a laugh. Omar noticed the line was moving forward, with the people handing their tickets to the receptionist beside the doors.

"Well, I'll leave ya to it. Have fun, alright?"

"Will do," she said with a smile.

With that idea out of question, the two of them ended up in one of the restaurants within the resort. Even though they didn't have tickets to the event, it was still airing on the local channel, and Krystal and Omar watched as Leo Browning leveled all six of the challengers that came up against him. He had yet to lose a match during his reign, which was an impressive accomplishment within such a competitive league. But perhaps that was to be expected for someone who devoted their entire life to the position.

Their food came, and they each went about eating. The resort always had good food, and perhaps that would be enough to lighten her mood up a bit. He rubbed her head softly, causing the dewott to purr as he ran his fingers through her fur. Omar had come to know exactly where she liked being rubbed after all this time, and it was something that he definitely took advantage of. Seeing her content just felt right.

"Come on," he said, once it was late in the evening. "We might wanna get home. That is, if we're gonna go to the service tomorrow morning."

"Oh… sure thing." He helped her down from the booth, and they were on their way. The two of them headed out towards the side parking lot, which was small and secluded - intended for the usage of staff only.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked.

"Of course. We always have fun," the water-type replied.

"Well we try our best, don't we?" He put his arm on her shoulder and gently pulled her closer, to which she hugged him in response. The vehicles had come into sight, including the resort owner's sleek convertible. Omar's car was parked on the other end, and kind of stuck out from the rest, being an older model and used when he had bought it. But in his opinion, all that mattered was the fact that it worked.

He was standing beside the dark blue Chevy, fishing through his pockets for his keys when he heard the click. They both turned to their side, seeing the origin of the source. A man wearing a dark hoodie was approaching them, holding a switchblade in his right hand. "Let's just get this over with," the man said. "I want your wallet and keys now." Omar was starting to panic, never imagining that something like this would happen to him - and here of all places! Krystal cowered behind him, terrified of the situation even more.

"W-why are you doing this?" Omar asked.

"Because I've got shit to pay for too, kid. Now fucking hand it over."

"I don't have a wallet on me… I don't keep one."

"Bullshit. Empty your fucking pockets." He did as he was told, the only thing on his person being his cell phone and his keys. The robber snatched them both from him. As much as he wanted to do something - to fight back - it wasn't worth either of them getting hurt. He was just hoping that it would all be over, and for a moment, it had seemed like it was so. But then the man spoke again. "The translator too." He felt a knot in his stomach, but Omar turned around slowly.

"N-no…" Krystal said, backing up. "You… you got this for me…"

"Krystal… do what he says. It can be replaced."

"I'd listen to him. I don't have a damn problem cutting you up either."

"Please, Krystal… just give it to him…" The dewott had tears in her eyes, but her paws eventually went up towards the collar. Apparently it wasn't fast enough for the criminal's liking.

"For fuck's sake, bitch - I don't have time for this!" He shoved Omar backwards, nearly causing him to trip. He grabbed the car to prevent himself from falling over, but the water-type hadn't reacted at all. She squealed as the man lifted her up by her throat, slamming her into the vehicle, and the lifeguard immediately snapped.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" he yelled, tackling the aggressor to the ground. He punched the man in the face with whatever strength he could muster, repeatedly connecting his fist with the robber's jaw. On the third strike, he felt the blade sink in. Though the pain was nullified, Omar felt the foreign object in his abdomen, and he jumped back in fear. The switchblade somehow came out completely clean, and the man was regaining his bearings much faster than Omar liked.

He pulled himself up using the car, then tried to punch the man once more. The criminal blocked his arm and thrust the knife forward. Omar tried to dodge it, but it was no use - the blade stuck into his shoulder, barely missing his throat. This time, he felt it, and every fiber of his being wanted to scream out in pain.

"Should've just fucking listened, kid," the man said, panting heavily. He shoved Omar down, and the trainer crawled back, seeing the dewott look at him in terror.

"R-run…" he managed to say, but she stood there, completely paralyzed. "Pl-please…" he stammered. Omar looked at her, lacking any hope of getting out of this. He just hoped that she could.

A gunshot caught everyone's attention, and the robber froze up. A series of shots were fired, and Omar could barely see as one impacted his side, causing the man stumble. Panicking, he ditched the robbery attempt and fled into the night as fast as he could. Omar remained on all fours, watching as his blood fell to the ground. He heard footsteps approaching, and slowly looked over his shoulder. Jared was standing there, a pistol in his hand.

"Th…" Omar fell onto the ground, lacking the strength to support himself.

"Fuck!" he heard Jared yell. "Stay with me!" And as much as he wanted to, Omar found his vision blurring. The last thing he remembered was Krystal crying, holding him for dear life.

 **. . . . .**

Somewhere along the ride, he came to, with several people in the large vehicle. His shirt had been cut off, and he noticed an IV had been stuck into his arm. He immediately groaned from the fiery pain lancing through his wounds, the adrenaline having worn off by now. But the medics aboard weren't frantically going about in an effort to save him. That had to be one good sign, at least. It wasn't long before he lost consciousness again.

 **. . . . .**

Omar woke up, wondering where he was. The room was dimly lit, and his body was slightly inclined against the bed. _Ugh, what the hell…_ He looked around, immediately realizing that he was in a hospital. _Shit, that's right…_ He looked down at his chest, noticing that he was bandaged up. The throbbing had subsided some, but that might just be pain medication. The trainer couldn't deny the fact that he'd been lucky in spite of things; his injuries certainly could've been a lot worse. Had it not been for Jared…

He shifted, getting ready to sit up, but felt something against his side. Looking down, he saw his dewott hugging against his form, and he gently stroked her head. Omar noticed that the bed was moist around her head, and her fur was matted. He continued to pet her until her eyes slowly opened. "Hey…"

"Omar!" She pressed her muzzle into his unwounded shoulder, trying to keep herself from crying.

"Hey now… it's alright…"

"I was… so scared," she said with a sniff. "I thought that y-you… you would…"

"Nah, I think you're stuck with me for awhile longer."

— — — — —

 **Krystal**

— — — — —

It had been a week since that incident, and she had counted herself more than lucky. Omar's stitches had been removed, leaving two small scars in place of where the knife had gone in. The criminal, on the other hand, had passed out from blood loss in his attempted escape, and was taken to the hospital before being arrested. And her trainer had already toyed with the idea of getting a gun himself as a result of the robbery. Krystal didn't exactly know what to think about that, but one thing was for certain: she never wanted to be in a situation like that again.

She had felt the same level of terror upon finding out that her mother had died. Even though the EMTs had assured her that he would be alright throughout the ride back, she had panicked upon seeing his clothing covered in blood. Her entire world felt like it had fallen out from beneath her.

Now, though, everything was as it should be. Well, except for one thing. But she didn't know if she had the courage to go forward with the issue. She hadn't in the past, and aside from the near-death experience, she doubted that she did now. But Krystal was determined to at least make an attempt, whatever that would look like…

Truth was, she had tried to bring up the topic a few times prior. But she would always find herself stumbling over her words, never actually making it close to the confession. Why had she been cursed with such timidity? This was Omar of all people! And yet, that was exactly the problem. If she happened to be wrong about all this - if she screwed this up - then it might spawn an uncomfortable tension within the relationship she treasured most. That very risk may have been what intervened in those past cases. But today she would try. Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself…

She was blankly staring out the window as they drove back from the hospital. "So what's the plan for tonight?" he asked. Somehow, despite sporting two new scars, he seemed to be the happier of the two.

"I-I don't know…"

"Oh come on," he said, stopping at one of the endless red lights within the city. "You've gotta have some idea." Well of course, she did. But how to even approach that subject was far beyond her. She could feel her cheeks grow warm from the thoughts. Nothing too much - she just wanted to snuggle into him and tell him how she felt. Then maybe they could take things a step further, and… "You okay there?"

"Eep!" she shrieked.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you… I just saw you staring off into space…"

"It's… it's okay…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No," she said unconvincingly. "Not at all. I just… I guess I'm a bit tired." In a way, she was, too. She was tired of all this self-doubt, but yet she couldn't seem to help it.

"So, are you still gonna love me with these scars?" he asked jokingly.

"O-of course…" Hearing that, though, was perhaps the most frustrating part. He'd told her he loved her countless times. But he didn't mean it - not like she did, at least.

"That's good to hear." The light turned green, and the car sped up once again. Thankfully it was early in the afternoon, as the five o' clock traffic here was unbelievably slow.

They eventually pulled up into the apartment complex. Once they entered their home, Krystal headed for the couch. She had no clue how she would go about bringing the topic up, or how she'd keep her calm throughout such a matter. That feeling of doubt was still in the back of her mind - that would likely remain for some time, too.

He set his keys down onto the counter and headed to the bedroom, returning with his laptop. "I was browsing around a bit earlier, and I think I might've found something."

"Oh? What is it?" she asked. He sat beside her, opening the laptop. Once the screen popped up, she wordlessly looked at it. "O-oh…"

"I know you aren't a big fan of the idea, but… I'm not about to let something like that happen again. If it hadn't been for Jared… I think I'd have ended up in the ground instead of a hospital." She had to agree with that, though she shuttered seeing that she was staring at a pistol on the screen. But the dewott would need to accept the fact that sometimes the world was dangerous. And she certainly didn't want her Omar getting hurt like that again.

"Yeah… I know…"

"Anyways, I'll probably pick it up next month."

"I see… Well, please be careful with it…"

"You know I will. But enough of that. I've kinda been wanting to talk to you, you know."

"What about?" she asked.

"Well… _you_. I mean you can't expect me to actually believe that everything is completely fine. This has been like… one of the longest conversations we've had in a month. But you won't tell me what's going on…" She averted her gaze. What little bit of a plan she'd had had just gone out the window, and now she wasn't in much of a position to hide, other than to just tell him the same lie: that absolutely nothing was wrong. Of course he wasn't convinced - she was horrible at lying. She didn't know why she'd thought that she'd be able to stall this along indefinitely.

"I don't… I don't know if I…" She looked up at him, fighting the urge to tremble. "I can't…"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Not at all…"

"Then what gives? You can always talk with me about anything…" Omar said. He sounded slightly taken back, even.

"It's just… I'm sorry Omar…" She had expected this talk to have started out differently - to maybe have actually been ever-so-slightly assertive, even. But reality came back down, and just like every time before, it put her in a position in which she didn't know what to do. But what she didn't expect was for him to pick her up and hug her against him.

"It's okay…" he whispered. "If it's something you'd rather keep to yourself, then I won't pry." He kissed her head softly - as he always did - and she shuttered. How she wished it had been on her mouth instead… If only she had the forwardness of her sister - she would definitely have been able to take control of the situation then. "I love you," he said. But he didn't mean it like she wanted.

"I… I love you, Omar." She froze up, having said it far slower than she intended. She just hoped he hadn't caught on.

"What?" By the sound of his voice, Krystal could tell that she had unknowingly given herself up. The panic began to set in once again - this wasn't at all how things were supposed to go! Maybe he would let it slip by… "Krystal… did… did you mean that? I mean… how I think you did?" She looked down, but there was no way out now.

"I… I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The tears were starting to well up in her eyes. "I know… I know it's weird… I'm so sorry…" Now it was Omar's turn to look away, trying to process it all.

"Well… I didn't think anyone would feel like that. Not about me…" The dewott still didn't know what to say, though a multitude of thoughts were going through her head, embarrassment being the prominent one.

"P-please… please don't… be mad…"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" She looked at him questioningly, and he shook his head. "You've been the greatest thing ever to happen to me. And besides… I can't be upset about that. Not when I feel the same way." _What?_

"Y-you do?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Yeah. I… haven't really known how to go about telling you or anything, but… I've felt something for about two years now."

"Omar…"

"I know, I probably should've said something, but I didn't want to risk it. I… I couldn't tell if it was what you wanted." She didn't know what to do at this point, but the water-type finally managed to look up at him once again.

"And… you don't care? About me being a pokémon?" Krystal asked.

"Not really, no. I mean it's not something to be scared of anymore. It's not super uncommon, and things have gotten better with it. I'm not sure how I feel about Clemmons, but… that's one thing she did right. I think the other dude might have made all this illegal," Omar joked. "But aside from all that, I'd be fine being with you even if half the country was getting ready to kick our door down. You're worth it."

"Thank you, Omar. I-I love you…" And this time, she was free to say it how she truly meant it. And that felt great.

"And I love you, Krystal." She nuzzled him appreciably, before making eye contact.

"S-so what does this mean now?"

"Well… I dunno. I didn't think we'd make it to this point…" A small grin spread across her face, and she responded with a nervous laugh.

"Me n-neither. But… we could always st…start with something…" Krystal trailed off, unable to complete her sentence. At first it had been from her nerves, but now it was because she was happier than she'd ever been.

"Sure - if that's what you want, that is…" he said.

All the pent up emotions had begun the process of releasing themselves. Neither of them knew who started the motion, but before Krystal had known it, the couple had closed the tiny bit of distance still between them, pressing their lips together softly. Her arms shot to his side as she struggled not to fall into him. _This is… actually happening!_ she thought. He rubbed along her sides as he kissed the pokémon, causing her to release a pleasured squeal.

Once they eventually separated, the dewott managed to make eye contact with him, smiling shyly, but unable to withhold the giggle.


End file.
